Hajj, umrah to get costlier
Saudi Arabia will increase charges for visas for people to visit the country for performing hajj.
The ruling Council of Ministers, chaired by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, announced that anyone applying for a visit to complete the hajj for a second time will be charged SR2,000 for each visit.
The same fee with apply for people wishing to complete the umrah, a similar pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah but one that can be completed at any point in the year, for a second time.
The first entry for hajj and umrah will be free.
Foreigners visiting the Kingdom will be charged SR3,000 for a six-month multiple entry visa, SR5,000 for one-year multiple entry visa, and SR8,000 for two-year multiple entry visa.
The revised fees will come into force from today.
The new fees come as Saudi Arabia struggles to fill the holes in its balance sheet as its oil revenue continues to decline.
During a meeting of Opec nations in Algiers on Wednesday, the kingdom and the 11 other members agreed to cut oil production for the first time after their bid to out-compete cheaper US shale gas failed.
Opec has also been hit by the lifting of economic sanctions against Iranian oil.
Oil prices reached a peak of $100 (£77) a barrel in the middle of 2014 but fell as low as $26 (£20) a barrel in February this year.
The country is now frantically reforming its generous welfare system with deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman telling Bloomberg in June that his reform programme will aim to raise an extra $100bn (£77bn) in non-oil revenues by 2020.
The extra revenue will come from measures such as introducing VAT, tax on expats and tax on sugary drinks but incomes would remain untaxed.
The move will also coincide with an austerity programme announced in December last year.
Other measures due to be introduced at the same time as the visa charges also include a SR20,000 (£4,110) fine for anyone caught “stunt driving” and identify theft will earn the perpetrator a fine of “not less than SR1,000 and not more than SR2,000”.
[From Independent.co.uk and Saudi Gazette]
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