Published: April 7, 2025 10:11 PM IST 
Hajj 2025: Saudi Arabia has arrested over 18,000 foreign nationals within a week, following Riyadh’s decision to temporarily suspend the issuance of certain visas to citizens of 14 countries, including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. According to Riyadh’s state-owned Saudi Press Agency, 18,407 people have been arrested for breaking the kingdom’s residency, labour and border security laws.
As per the report, 12,995 foreigners citizens have been charged with violation of Saudi Arabia’s residency laws, 3,512 arrested for illegally crossing the border, while 1,900 were held for breaking the Kingdom’s labour laws.
According to a report by Arab News, 66 percent of those arrested for trying to enter the Kingdom illegally are Ethiopian, 28 percent are Yemeni, while the rest of the 6 percent are from other countries. Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry has warned its citizens against aiding illegal immigration, stating that violators could face up to 15 years in jail, fines of SR1 million (about Rs 2.3 crore) and seizure of their vehicles and property.
As per the Arab News report, 67 people were arrested for trying to leave the Kingdom and sneak into other countries, while 21 were held for aiding violators.
The development comes ahead of Hajj 2025, which is likely to take place between June 4 and June 9, 2025.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia announced sweeping changes to its visa regulations, barring multiple-entry visa for travelers from as many as 14 countries, including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, who will now be granted access to the country only on a single-entry visa.
The ban, which affects travelers from Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen, came into effect on February 1, 2025, and is aimed at curbing unauthorized people joining the Hajj pilgrimage by arriving in the desert kingdom on long-term visit visas.
According to Saudi authorities, many foreign nationals often overstay in the Kingdom to perform Hajj and Umrah during the pilgrimage season, which makes managing the religious event– one of the largest in the world– very difficult.
Under Saudi Arabia’s new visa rules, no foreign citizen can perform the Hajj pilgrimage, however, those Umrah visas can still enter the Kingdom till April 13, according to Pakistan-based ARY News.
Saudi Arabian officials say that unauthorized Hajj pilgrims have emerged as a major challenge in recent years, resulting in overcrowding which led to tragedies, such as the deaths of over 1200 pilgrims, who died due to extreme heat and overcrowding last year.
Saudi Arabia maintains a strict grip over the Hajj pilgrimage, with each country being allocated a specific quota to prevent overcrowding during the pilgrimage. However, despite strict norms, overcrowding has emerged as a major issue in recent years as tourists often use long-term visas to circumvent these rules.
More than 1200 pilgrims died last year due to extreme heat and overcrowding, raising questions about the issue of unregistered Hajj pilgrims, and prompting Saudi authorities to address the critical matter, which is considered to have significantly contributed to the tragedy.
As per Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism, people with visit visas are “strictly prohibited” from joining the Hajj 2025 pilgrimage, and anyone entering the holy city of Mecca without an official Hajj permit, including Saudi citizens, residents or tourists will face a penalty of SR10,000 (around Rs 2.3 lakh), with repeat violations incurring double fines.
The new rule is also applicable to other major pilgrimage sites in the Kingdom, including the Grand Mosque area, Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah and other checkpoints, Gulf News reported.
Thus, only those holding an official Hajj permit, citizen or otherwise, can perform Hajj 2025.
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