There is a massive debate with regards to Umrah visas. There is a known fact that Umrah visas are issued by the Saudi embassy for free. What what is really the meaning of free that so many people ask about?
Seriously I receive a lot of emails saying agents charge so much money for visas that they shouldn’t since the visas are issued for free. I just admit, I was somewhat guilty of it too. I knew that as companies the agents will have their overheads and other related expenses so there was an added cost.
However it is much more than this. I asked a director of one of the operators to explain why visas cost so much money to the end consumer, his reply was indeed very enlightening.
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Heres is how it works
Every tour operator or an authorised agent in the UK must have a kafeel or sponsor – the sponsor is the Saudi Company in Saudi Arabia that has a contract with the Ministry of Hajj to offer Hajj and Umrah services. (note: companies cannot do business in Saudi Arabia without having a Saudi company as a partner)
The sponsor/kafeel/Saudi Umrah operator has a charge. A clear and distinctly defined charge per visa that he/she will issue.
The embassy does not charge a fee to issue the visa but does require an authorisation number (aka MOFA) to issue a visa. A MOFA is issued by a Saudi Company who charges for this service.
We as resellers or agents of this company – add a markup to the original cost usually between £5-10 and sell onwards. Simply the agents in the UK add a mark up to this charge and offer services to their pilgrims.
It is only normal for agents to have to make some money since they offer a service and obviously run a business. I really hope this clarifies the misconception of “free” Umrah visas since as we can see above this is not true.
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