In a major boost for Indian citizens undertaking Hajj, Saudi Arabia Tuesday announced a slew of measures, including visa issuance within 48 hours and a 96-hour stopover visa.

Additionally, Indian citizens can now perform Umrah on business, tourism and umrah visas, said visiting Saudi Arabian Minister of Hajj & Umrah, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, in New Delhi. Addressing reporters along with Union Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State, External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, Al-Rabiah said, “Indians travelling to the West or Middle East (West Asia) can obtain a stopover visa for 96 hours and get a visa within the ticket issuance process, which allows them to perform umrah and visit any city in the Kingdom (of Saudi Arabia).”

“The Umrah visa is valid for 90 days and allows the holders to reside and visit any Saudi Arabian city,” he added.

The Saudi minister noted a significant increase in the number of Umrah pilgrims from India, surpassing 1.2 million in 2023. “That is a 74% increase in comparison with 2022,” he said.

He also said that the two countries are now holding discussions to enhance the range of direct flights options to accommodate an increasing number of Indian pilgrims.

Later in the day, he held a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, wherein they discussed “the smooth facilitation of the Hajj pilgrimage by Indian nationals, and also shared views on deepening the ties between the two countries,” according to a post by Jaishankar on X.