Pilgrims who wish to perform Umrah will no longer be required to wait for 14 days to book for the ritual, according to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

Dr Amr Al-Maddah, chief of planning and strategy officer at the ministry, told Arab News that by easing preventive measures, the operational capacity of the Grand Mosque for Umrah and prayers has significantly increased.

Saudi Arabia to reopen borders for vaccinated Umrah pilgrims

“In line with the developments at this stage, which in turn increased the demand in the dates available to perform Umrah, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah made this feature available for pilgrims. This condition is no longer necessary and will achieve a fair opportunity for all due to the high demand,” he said.

In August, the Saudi Press Agency reported that Saudi Arabia will begin accepting vaccinated foreign pilgrims seeking to visit Makkah, around 18 months after a border closure prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

[There will be no increase in Hajj, Umrah expenses, says minister][2]

The Covid-19 pandemic hugely disrupted both pilgrimages, which are usually key revenue earners for the kingdom -- in normal times, they together rake in around $12 billion (10.3 billion euros) annually.

Before the announcement, only immunised pilgrims resident in Saudi Arabia were eligible for Umrah permits, though the Hajj has taken place in a scaled down form since the pandemic began.