Saudi Arabia: $26,650 fine, two years jail for helping Umrah overstayers
Riyadh, (IINA) – With the end of the Umrah season, Saudi Arabia’s Passport Directorate (Jawazat) has advised pilgrims to return home on schedule and warned that all those who give shelter to overstayers will be subjected to a fine up to SR100,000 ($26,650), jail for two years, and will risk deportation if they are expatriates, Arab News reported.
Major Talal Al-Shalhoub, a spokesman for the Passport Department, said residents and citizens should be aware of their obligations toward the state. Providing accommodation for Umrah overstayers or keeping them in a safe place to avoid hands of law is an offense under the Saudi law.
“Citizens and residents will be held accountable for such offenses”, he stressed. Al-Shalhoub also pointed out that Umrah pilgrims who overstay their visas in the Kingdom due to medical reasons will be considered for extension of visas provided their reasons are genuine.
Arrangements will be made for their return when their illnesses are over, he added. He said the Passport Department coordinates with all relevant government agencies in facilitating the return of the pilgrims to their respective countries of origin.
He said that huge numbers of over-stayers could destabilize the security and destroy the economy of the country.
If a large number of them were to overstay their visas, they would start looking for jobs and they would be willing to do jobs for which they have no skills. They will compete with expatriate workers who enter the country legally. The overstayers will also send all of the monies they earn back to their countries.
With regard to security destabilization, the authorities do not have any reliable information about overstayers since they do not have resident permits. If an overstayer commits a crime, it is difficult to catch him because his whereabouts are unknown.