Riyadh, (IINA) : Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) urged all foreign Hajj pilgrims to leave the Kingdom before the expiry of their visas, Saudi Gazette reported Thursday.

It warned that pilgrims who overstay the visas or those who help them overstay in the Kingdom will face stringent punitive measures.

The directorate stated: “No Hajj pilgrim is allowed to move outside of Makkah, Madinah, and Jeddah or engage in work in any parts of the Kingdom. Those pilgrims who overstay their visas will be fined up to SR50,000 and jailed for maximum six months plus deportation.”

The directorate also warned Saudi citizens and expatriates against giving any kind of help and support to overstayers. “Those who support overstayers by giving them transportation, jobs, shelter or cover up will have to pay up to SR100,000 in fine, face a maximum jail term of six months and deportation for expatriates. These penalties will be doubled with the number of violations.”

The Directorate urged all the Hajj service providing companies and establishments to inform it in the event of the delay in the departure of any pilgrims. “If they failed to do so, they will be fined up to SR100,000. If any firm hired overstayers, it will be fined SR100,000 in addition to a five-year recruitment ban, naming and shaming of the firm, and one year jail for the manager of the firm with deportation if he is a foreigner,” the statement added.

As of Tuesday, around 1,235,456 Hajj pilgrims out of a total of 1,325,372 left the Kingdom after performing the annual pilgrimage.