King Salman approves incentives for Hajj, Umrah businesses

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman approved a number of incentive initiatives for establishments operating in the Hajj and Umrah sector, a move that comes as part of the king’s keenness to mitigate the financial and economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals, private sector businesses and investors, according to state-run news agency SPA.

The initiatives include:

1) Exempting accommodation facilities from annual fees for licenses for municipal commercial activities for one year in Makkah and Madinah.

2) Exempting Hajj and Umrah sector establishments from paying the fee for employed expats for six months.

3) Renewing licenses for accommodation facilities from the Ministry of Tourism, free of charge, for one year in Makkah and Madinah, which can be extended.

4) Postponing the collection of residency renewal fees for expatriates working in activities related to the Hajj and Umrah sector for six months, and the amounts are to be paid in installments over a period of one year.

5) Extending the validity of licenses for buses operating in facilities that transport pilgrims without charge for one year.

6) Postponing the collection of customs duties for new buses for this year’s Hajj season for three months, and to be paid in installments over a period of four months starting from the due date.

The Saudi government has launched more than 150 initiatives, the allocations of which exceeded SAR180 billion, with the aim of confronting the repercussions of pandemic and mitigating its effects on individuals, the private sector and investors.