Dailymorocco Your door for the daily news of morocco
Related Articles
The payment of pilgrimage fees for the 1440 AH season will be from February 18 to March 1 in a single payment, both for the official circuit and for travel agencies. The payment will be made at the offices of Al Barid Bank in the various prefectures and provinces of the Kingdom, announced Tuesday in Rabat, the Royal Commission in charge of the pilgrimage.
At a meeting chaired by the Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, the Commission set the costs of the official pilgrimage operation to 49,906 MAD, pocket money not included (15,000 MAD) for the circuit of the Ministry under the 1440 season.
The expenses of the pilgrimage cover accommodation and meals in Mecca and Medina, transportation and additional services to Mina and Arafat, luggage transport, extra buses inside the holy places, travel tickets, Al Barid Bank’s management fee and vaccination fees and services, in addition to the 5% VAT imposed by the Saudi authorities.
The price of a round-trip ticket for holy places has been set at 11,000 MAD inclusive, while for members of the official Moroccan delegation, it has been set at 9,500 MAD inclusive. Meningitis and cold vaccination costs are 480 MAD.
The Commission also agreed to maintain the pilgrimage fees at the offices of Al Barid Bank for the year 1440 in accordance with the procedure in force for both types of organization.
Regarding the decision of the Saudi authorities establishing the fingerprint as a prerequisite for obtaining the visa, the Saudi Embassy in Rabat will designate the parties responsible for conducting this operation, which will be carried out at the expense of pilgrims. June 15 has been set as the deadline for accepting requests for discontinuance.
Pilgrims from travel agencies will have to pay 400 MAD each as part of the management fee. In addition, a deadline has been set for the two carriers (RAM and Saudia) to establish the schedule of the official circuit and communicate it to the Ministry, while fixing the stay at 28 days minimum and 30 days maximum and imputing to both companies the cost of taking pilgrims out of this period. The two airlines pledge to refund the total amount of the ticket, if a pilgrim fails to travel to Saudi Arabia
For the luggage of Moroccan pilgrims, the maximum weight is 46 kg (two suitcases of 23 kg each). Excess baggage will be paid 40 Saudi riyans per kilogram. The Commission stressed the need to strengthen medical examinations and to allow travel only to physically and mentally fit persons, as well as those who do not suffer from chronic or advanced illness. Similarly, pregnant women over 6 months during the pilgrimage period will not be allowed.
The Commission set the period from 1 to 12 April 2019 as the date of registration for the pilgrimage operation of the 1441 AH season. Candidates who have already completed the pilgrimage for the last ten years will not be registered. A quota of 15% will be reserved for the elderly who must be accompanied according to the conditions in force.
