When Does The Umrah Season Start?
For the people following the religion Islam, Umrah is one of the holiest event of their life. Every year millions of capable muslims assemble in Mecca & Medina with a view to enrich their bags of good deeds.
So what's the unique fact about this event? Umrah can be performed any time of the year! This is one of the basic differences between Umrah & Hajj. But still there are some particular times when it's the best for you to decide to go to those holy places and purify your soul for the sake of Allah.
Also there are some rules & restrictions by the government of SA regarding Umrah. Let's find out clearly when does the Umrah seasons start-
Traveling In Holiday Seasons
Muslims around the world rush to perform Ramadan Umrah to get extra blessings or sawabs. As a result, pilgrims and other visitors alike get the holy cities jam-packed on that month. As Ramadan is a holy month a section of people prefer this month over others to perform hajj. Otherwise the same goes for the other holidays such as Christmas and Easter, where we can observe an increase in international visitors.
Affordable Staying Arrangements
It is clarified that most pilgrims can easily relate with the spike in accommodation prices in holiday seasons. As in the holidays they can get a reasonable break from their work, it's obvious to have more pilgrims performing Umrah on those breaks. But if you prefer doing Umrah in a cost efficient way, you can choose time except for holidays as the staying arrangements are much cheaper than seasonal times.
Favorable Weather Condition
Every Middle Eastern country is known for their hot climate & unbearable heat. From the English Calender's perspective we recommend you to avoid June & July as they're the hottest month of Saudi Arabia. For the people with special health conditions, it's not a wise choice to perform Umrah in Summer. The cooler months in Saudi Arabia lasts from November to February. These months are preferable if you want to perform Umrah in a favorable weather.
Regulations Given by The Government
The visitors drawn by the holy sites are one of the major sources of earning revenue for Saudia Arabic government. Still to maintain discipline & the sublimity of these places they chose some prime times.
We understand that pilgrims have the right to be informed that Islam does not prescribe any fixed dates for the success of Umrah; you can do it at any time of year. Nevertheless, the three months before Hajj Saudi authorities don't grant visas to international travellers, they're Shawwal, and Dhul Qádah and Dhul Hijjah.
Restrictions During Pandemic
As we all know we're going through a very difficult phase due to COVID-19 and it's no exception in case of Umrah and Hajj the situation is also the same. Saudi government is requesting muslims all over the world to be patient as it might be difficult to get a Umrah/Hajj visa in upcoming years.
To decrease the radius of the spread of Corona, this year only 1000 lucky muslims were allowed to do Hajj and the number was low in case of Umrah performers as well. Hence you should keep in mind about this exceptional situation.
Significant Factors about Visa
The Umrah season closes off after two weeks of the month of Ramadan and after the 14th of Ramadan you cannot issue an Umrah visa. Saudi Arabia began offering several different types of visas from 2013, each with a separate intent. One of these is a visa to Umrah.
This visa is intended for Muslims who wish to go beyond the usual Hajj time frame on a pilgrimage to Mecca and other holy places. Usually the Saudi e-visa processing takes 3 to 5 days but in super rush option you can get it within 24 hours. Before you apply for a visa you must schedule your flights and hotels. All hotels and all the flights must however be checked and accounted for. To mitigate all the procedural challenges, it is better to get help from an expert.
