FIFA World Cup: Fans with tickets eligible for free visa for Umrah

Muslim fans with tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be eligible for a free visa to perform Umrah, as per an announcement by Saudi Arabia.

Authorities have said that the visa for Hayya card holders is free, with the state incurring all e-visa expenses.

But it is mandatory to get medical insurance from the visa platform, the Saudi Gazette reported, quoting Khaled Al-Shammari, assistant director-general of the general department of visas at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A Hayya card (fan ID) is a personalised document that is issued and required by every single person attending any of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 matches.

This visa will be valid to enter Saudi Arabia 10 days before the start of the World Cup, which starts from November 11, until the final day on December 18, 2022, Al-Shammari confirmed in an interview with Al-Ekhbariya.

It will be a multiple-entry visa and the holder can enter and exit the country at any time, and does not have to enter Saudi Arabia from Qatar.