Umrah Visa For Single Woman

Are you looking for information about Umrah Visa For Single Woman then here we are providing all the necessary details about it here for you.

This is a step by step guide on how to get Umrah Visa For Single Woman. But before anything let’s see what is Umrah visa?  ( Wikipedia )  It is a visa which allows the Muslim pilgrim to undertake the Hajj or Umrah. This type of visa may be obtained from the representative of Saudi Arabia in one’s home country, or from any other consular office of Saudi Arabia within one’s country of residence if there is no such office.

Umrah Visa For Single Woman

Are you a single woman looking to make the Hajj pilgrimage? We have good news! You can apply for an Umrah Visa, which allows you to visit Saudi Arabia for religious purposes. This visa is valid for several months and will allow you to make the journey with a group of people or on your own.

To get started, you’ll need to fill out an application form, which you can find [link] here. This should be submitted with your passport and copies of your birth certificate and national identification card. Once we’ve received your application and it’s been approved, we’ll send you an approval letter confirming that you’re eligible for this visa.

Once you have your approval letter in hand, we can help guide you through the process of booking a flight and hotel reservation so that all of your travel arrangements are set up when it comes time to leave. When everything is ready to go, just show up at the airport with your passport, approval letter, and any other documents required by local authorities (such as proof of health insurance).

A single woman is eligible to perform Umrah without a Mahram.

Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage that can be performed at any time of the year, provided that the pilgrim has performed the obligatory Hajj (pilgrimage).

All Muslims are required to perform hajj once in their lifetime if they can afford it and physically capable of undertaking the journey.

The Umrah is a form of worship that is considered to be Sunnah Mu’akkadah or a recommended action according to the Qur’an and Hadith. It may be performed at any time of the year, provided that the pilgrim has performed the obligatory Hajj. However, it is generally recommended to perform it during the last ten days of Ramadan.

Importance of Mahram in Islam

The concept of mahram signifies protection and guardianship. He protects women from the polluting influence and wilderness of the world. People come in huge numbers for Umrah and Hajj, and a woman on her own is almost certain to be pestered by men. Hence, she needs a shelter that a mahram provides. Umrah is a sacred pilgrimage that stands for purity, and preserving the respect of women is the responsibility of mahram.

Umrah for Ladies without Mahram

muslim woman praying

Umrah for ladies without a mahram is prohibited. It is for the safety and comfort of a woman in Islam that she must perform the pilgrimage with her husband or a relative accompanying her. While safety is concerned, many scholars have argued for the compulsion of travelling with a mahram. They have suggested that women can also travel in groups and stay safe. However, a trustworthy company of a husband or a male member of the family is widely accepted and is a compulsion for only women travelers below 45 years of age.

Who is a Mahram?

Generally, a mahram is one with whom marriage is illegal in Islam, that is all men related to women by blood. By definition, a mahram can be related to the woman as a:

  • Parent
  • Grandparent
  • Other ancestor
  • Sibling
  • Sibling of ancestors
  • Maternal or paternal uncle
  • Child or grandchild of siblings; above 15 years of age

Mahram can also belong to the family of the husband. By this definition, one can be a:

  • Parent, grandparent or ancestor of spouse
  • Child, descendant or grandchild of the spouse; above 15 years of age
  • A male who married a descendant of the spouse
  • A male who married an ancestor of spouse

For older women, a mahram must have reached the age of puberty. But for a girl, who is an adolescent, he should be a sane adult male with capabilities to provide for her financially. He must be able to protect her from the outside world.

Other than this, foster siblings, connected by the same female ancestor, can also accompany a woman as mahram. A sibling who has been nursed by the same mother or relative can escort females for Umrah. A husband, by marriage, is a legal mahram for the entire life of his wife unless divorced.

Rules For Women For Umrah Without Mahram

women-at-kaaba

If planning Umrah without a mahram in 2021, women must consider the following rules:

  • She must be above the age of 45 and submit a no-objection certificate from her family to travel in an organised group.
  • She cannot perform Ramal (a ritual of running at a medium pace during Tawaf, circling Kaaba, and Sa’i, a journey that starts from Safa and ends at Marwa).
  • If the Kaaba is bustling with the crowd, she must maintain a safe distance from everyone, especially men.
  • She cannot recite Talbiyah (a prayer for Umrah) loudly like men.
  • She must not attract the attention of other men in any way.
  • She must stay with her group and not start a conversation with an unrelated male.
  • She must pray in the separate area provided for women. If there is a crowd, she can offer nafl prayers anywhere in Masjid-ul-Haram, after Tawaf is completed.

However, if a woman is travelling with a mahram, the rules are a bit relaxed. She can take part in a number of rituals, provided that she maintains the prescribed code of conduct for clothes and stays with her mahram only.

Muslim woman in abaya

In any case, women must put extra effort and dress according to the code. They must wear an abaya that can cover their body from head to toe and does not reveal the garments inside. Women are also not allowed to wear glittery clothes, scents, jewelry or anything sparkling, which can attract attention from the surrounding. It also prevents the soul from connecting with Allah.

Mentions of Mahram in Quran

“Do not marry former wives of your fathers—except what was done previously. It was indeed a shameful, despicable, and evil practice.”

– An Nisha 4:22

“Also˺ forbidden to you for marriage are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your paternal and maternal aunts, your brother’s daughters, your sister’s daughters, your foster-mothers, your foster-sisters, your mothers-in-law, your stepdaughters under your guardianship if you have consummated marriage with their mothers—but if you have not, then you can marry them—nor the wives of your own sons, nor two sisters together at the same time—except what was done previously. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

– An Nisha 4:22

Umrah comes with rules and regulations that pilgrims must follow to complete their journey. One of the crucial things that every woman traveler must understand is that they cannot travel without a mahram. For every ritual, a woman must be accompanied by her mahram to complete the pilgrimage and lead a hassle-free journey. If intending female pilgrims make plans to travel the most sacred of Islamic cities of Makkah and Madinah for Hajj or Umrah, they must read and adhere to the guidelines and make booking accordingly.

What is Umrah?

Umrah is one of the main reasons Muslims worldwide seek a visa to visit Saudi Arabia. It is a pilgrimage Muslims perform very frequently. There is no set time of the year in which one can perform Umrah, so pilgrims can make plans whenever they want, except for the period in which Hajj occurs. For an Umrah pilgrimage, travelers visit the Holy city of Mecca. A series of rituals Muslims are required to perform to complete an Umrah.

What is Umrah e-Visa?

Muslims worldwide eagerly look to perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia. However, for a very long time, there was no specific visa available for Umrah pilgrims. With the new electronic visa policy, the government of Saudi Arabia has made it easy for travelers to visit the Kingdom by applying exclusively for an Umrah visa. This new policy was implemented in September 2019, and nationals of a wide range of countries are eligible to apply for an Umrah e-visa if they meet the requirements.

Previously, travelers could apply for a hajj visa only, but in the past few years, the government has been offering special Umrah e-visas for the convenience of pilgrims. Muslims can undertake Umrah at any time of the year, and there are no specific application dates for an e-visa. They don’t need extensive physical screening at Saudi Arabian embassies or consulates, bear never-ending travel expenses and stand in queues at banks to pay visa fees.

The new e-visa system allows aspiring pilgrims to apply for a visa from their offices, homes, or even traveling without worrying about anything. With this travel document, pilgrims can enter the country and perform the Umrah pilgrimage to complete their religious rituals whenever possible. Mostly, applicants want to perform Umrah during the holy month of Ramadan as during this month, performing Umrah is akin to completing Hajj per their religious beliefs.

Required Documents for Umrah Visa

The office of the Minister of Hajj and Umrah announced an online visa policy for pilgrims in 2019. Umrah visitors can quickly get an e-visa independently without involving a third-party travel agency to obtain visa approval.

First of all, you must prepare some documents before submitting an online visa application. This includes:

  • An eligible country’s passport with at least six months of validity left after arriving in KSA.
  • Financial means to pay the Saudi Arabia visa fee online, such as an online payment card.
  • An active email ID.
  • A recent passport-sized photograph taken against an all-white background. (The photograph should be colored and display the applicant’s full face directly facing the camera).
  • A non-refundable round or return ticket.
  • A certificate of vaccination for meningitis taken no more than three years ago and no less than ten days before entering Saudi Arabia.
  • A certificate for Islamic Center or a mosque as evidence that the application is a Muslim. This requirement is for those who have converted to Islam and do not have a Muslim name.

Requirements for Women and Minors

Women should be accompanied by their husbands, and minors or children should be accompanied by their fathers or legal guardian. Proof of relation is necessary for couples for both the Umrah and Hajj visas. This may be a birth certificate or a marriage certificate. The certificate should show the couple’s names, and in the case of children, it should display the names of both parents. Another compulsion is that the husband/Maharam should travel in and out of Saudi Arabia on the same flight as their spouse and kids.

Please note that females above 45 can travel without a male companion/spouse called Mahram if she is traveling in an organized group and has submitted a notarized No Objection letter from her Mahram. The letter must display authorization for her independent travel with the named group.

Umrah e-Visa Validity

An Umrah e-visa enables a person to perform Umrah which is a sacred journey. It comes with a validity of 1 year with multiple entries allowing a maximum stay up to 90 days per visit. In-case the person would be intending to perform the Umrah during the holy month of Ramadan it would then be necessary to leave the Kingdom before the last day of that month regardless of that person’s say in the country whether it would be for 90 days or less than that. Please also note that once the visa exceeds the mentioned time period of stay ( 90 days ) it would not be considered valid by the border authorities

Saudi Umrah Visa Processing Time

The processing time of the Umrah E – Visa we have set for the convenience of the applicants would be 3 to 6 working days for normal processing, 1 to 3 working days for Rush Processing and 24 hours time for super rush processing. An applicant can choose the processing time as per the convenience. Please note that the final fee you would pay will depend upon the processing time you choose and the processing time mentioned can also exceed in some rare cases in-case any of the documents you submit will come in to rejection.

Umrah e-Visa Fees

You have to pay a visa fee and service fee to get a visa online. The Saudi Arabia visa fee is dependent on the applicant country and the type of visa also depends on the processing time.

Who needs a Visa to Saudi Arabia?

Citizens of four countries can travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia visa-free. This includes Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and the UAE. Nationals of all other countries will have to apply for a visa to enter the KSA. They can apply online for an e-visa, which can be done at any time of the year and from anywhere in the world.

In addition, from April 2022 onwards, the Government of Saudi Arabia further relaxed its visa policies. Anyone with a valid US, UK, or Schengen visa/residence permit can visit the Kingdom and perform Umrah without applying for an Umrah visa separately.

All other candidates must apply for an Umrah e-visa 3 to 6 days before their intended departure date. Remember that a limited number of Umrah visas are issued given the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the government announced facilitating one million Umrah pilgrims annually, and international pilgrims will be prioritized. It is worth noting that every eligible country is issued a specific number of pilgrims, which is also called the pilgrim’s quota.

Conclusion

As we see, Umrah visa for single woman is indeed permitted. Although we encourage women to perform Umrah in groups or with their families if they can afford the cost and find companions who will encourage them to focus on worship, single women should not be discouraged from going provided they fulfill all the previously mentioned criteria. With careful preparation and stringent adherence to the guidelines therein, Muslims everywhere are able to make Umrah when it is permissible for them to do so.

The visa process for Umrah is the same for both men and women. However, women who are traveling alone or with other women must be accompanied by a mahram (unrelated, male relative such as father, son, brother…etc.). If the woman is traveling with a group, she should also meet with her group leader before departure to ensure that everything is followed accordingly.

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