Religious Travelers - Help!!! London to riyadh to madinah hajj visa?

I hope someone will be able to help with my query. I am planning to do Hajj this year along with my wife and have already bought British Airways tickets Washington to London (American Airlines) to Riyadh (British Airways) Riyadh to Madinah (Saudi Airlines).

Now someone has told me that we’ll not be allowed to get on plan from London to Riyadh. The reason for this they say is that we have hajj visa and hajj flight should be direct to Jeddah from London. I do not understand the logic because our checked in luggage will go automatically to Madinah and we’ll just change our plane at London and Riyadh airport, we’ll not be going out of airport. The boarding pass will allow us to board the flight from Washington to Riyadh. Connecting flights are common all over the world but I have never come across something like this before. It is so confusing and our tickets are not changeable or refundable.

I’ll really appreciate if someone can help me in this regard, we don’t want to be stuck at London or Riyadh airport.

Thanks.

Hi,
with all I know from travel into the Kingdom and from my friends working at JED airport you should reconsider your travel plans. Entry on HAJJ visa is obviously only allowed through JED and MED, everything else like your trip is based on good will or rather exception of the immigration officers, if the airline let's you fly at all. So nothing to take a chance on.Try to call a Saudi Embassy or Consulate to be on the safe side.
Rgds

Ministry of Hajj recently updated it's website. It is a good news for many others like me. The website clearly states that pilgrims can enter via Riyadh, Damam, Madinah and Jeddah. In their exact words:

How do I get to Saudi Arabia?

There are more than 24 air, land and sea inlets for receiving pilgrims in the central, eastern, northern, western and southern regions of the Kingdom.

Among the land inlets are: Halat Ammar, Jadidat Arar, Al Ragei, Salwa, King Fahd Causeway, Al Khadra, Al Tewal, Elab and Al Wadeah.

Among sea inlets are: Jeddah Islamic Sea Port, Yanbu Port and Dammam Port.

Among the airports are: King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, Prince Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

Most pilgrims travel by air to Jeddah and then travel by bus to Makkah via Jeddah-Makkah expressway.

Please follow the link below to view the article:
http://http://www.hajinformation.com/main/t30.htm

Salam brothers,

Please forward the good news to IATA so they can update the information in their system. This news will help break Jeddah/Madinah monopoly for high fares.

Contact IATA at: timediting@iata.org

News to be updated:

Minsitry of Hajj has recently updated their website which clearly states pilgrims can enter via Damam and Riyadh as well. In their exact words:

How do I get to Saudi Arabia?

There are more than 24 air, land and sea inlets for receiving pilgrims in the central, eastern, northern, western and southern regions of the Kingdom.

Among the land inlets are: Halat Ammar, Jadidat Arar, Al Ragei, Salwa, King Fahd Causeway, Al Khadra, Al Tewal, Elab and Al Wadeah.

Among sea inlets are: Jeddah Islamic Sea Port, Yanbu Port and Dammam Port.

Among the airports are: King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, Prince Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

Most pilgrims travel by air to Jeddah and then travel by bus to Makkah via Jeddah-Makkah expressway.

Follow the link below for details:
http://www.hajinformation.com/main/t30.htm

Hi,
I have the same flight booked through Opodo
it is British Airways flight from London to Riyadh and then change of flight from Riyadh to Madinah for Hajj, INSHA ALLAH

now i have been contacting tour operators all day and most of them think i will have difficulty in Riyadh as i will have to go through immigration in order to change to domestic flight by Saudi airline to Madinah

have you contacted your travel agent and did you or your travel agent contact the Saudi embassy or consulate for confirmation since your last update on the forum in june 2011
as no one wants trouble on the day in Riyadh while you travel for hajj

This is the British Airways website information today
copy pasted today

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia visa restrictions

If you are a pilgrim
You must enter KSA through Jeddah with a valid Hajj or Umrah visa. Travel must be between the official pilgrimage travel dates, which will be announced by the Saudi Authorities when they have confirmed them.

You cannot:
> Travel for Hajj using an Umrah visa
> Travel for Umrah using a Hajj visa
> Enter, transfer or transit through Riyadh
> Travel outside of the official pilgrimage travel dates determined by the Saudi Authorities
If you are travelling from the UK, we recommend you book through our specialist partner Masterfare who can arrange your flight and Hajj/Umrah visa package through a KSA Ministry of Hajj approved agent.
If you book on ba.com, or you are travelling from another country, it is your responsibility to ensure you get the correct pilgrimage visa from a KSA Ministry of Hajj approved Hajj or Umrah agent.
You will not be allowed to travel, or be eligible for a refund, if you do not have the proper documentation, or you are not booked to travel on the official pilgrimage travel dates.
If you are not a pilgrim
If you are not Muslim, you can enter Jeddah or Riyadh at any time using a business or visit visa.
If you are Muslim, using a business or visit visa during Hajj, travelling in the 6-week period up to and including Hajj, you must enter KSA through Riyadh.
Please note
The restrictions above do not apply to residents or citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
KSA visa restrictions change at short notice, so check www.iatatravelcentre.com regularly for new updates :

Check The IATA Travel Centre for further update

ur route will likely be IAD-LHR-RUH---then JEDDAH (to the HAJJ Terminal)...you cant go straight to Jeddah because you have to make niyaah for HAJJ and I think thats MEEQAT point....the pilot will tell you when you are approaching MEEQAT, and at that point, you must be in the state of Ihram......thats why you are going to Jeddah and not straight.

Most people will change into Ihram clothing at the airport prior to boarding in Riyadh....and some will change on the plane before reaching Meeqat.

Make sense?

Salam brothers..
I just checked the Ministry of Hajj website and i found the same information.

it clearly states:
Among the airports are: King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh, Prince Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

I emailed the Ministry of Hajj and in response i got an email stating:

This is an official Saudi Arabian Ministry of Haj website, tasked
with providing comprehensive general information on the Hajj for
ENGLISH and FRENCH-speaking visitors.

If you need a formal statement on Ministry stationery you must
contact the Saudi Ministry of Hajj direct.

The ministry of hajj repeatedly confirmed that pilgrims could land on Riyadh and Dammam.

For more information you could contact ministry of hajj yourself
their email address is:contact@hajinformation.com

If you speak Arabic, you can try the following telephone number:

General Office Tel (Jeddah): 2 667 3944 (Arabic only)
General Office Tel (Riyadh): 1 402 2212 (Arabic only)

Best wishes to fellow FT members who are undertaking the Hajj! And, thanks for posting it all here for others who may be contemplating or planning the Hajj for the future.

ASSALAMOALIKUM,

RAMADAN MUBARAK!

I am very pleased to inform American hajj organizers that Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Saudi officials have announced that French and English speaking pilgrims can now enter KSA via Riyadh and Dammam also. For the reference, please find the news below:

This is an official Saudi Arabian Ministry of Haj website, tasked
with providing comprehensive general information on the Hajj for
ENGLISH and FRENCH-speaking visitors.

Pilgrims can fly "in transit" through airports other than Jeddah
and Madinah but they must pass through immigration in those two
airports.

http://www.hajinformation.com/main/t30.htm

Best regards,
Haj Information Website
contact@hajinformation.com

I have forwarded this information to Iata and they will update this information shortly. I highly recommend all you brothers to also contact Iata and forward them this news so it can be updated on their website. This will help our Ummah in a huge way and help break monopoly of just entering from Jeddah.

Borek JANECEK
Database Publisher
IATA Netherlands Data Publications
Tel +31 (0)20 403 7996
Fax +31 (0)20 403 7985
timediting.indp@iata.org
IATA Netherlands Data Publications
Frankfurtstraat 2-8, 1175 RH Lijnden
P.O. Box 49, 1170 AA Badhoevedorp
The Netherlands
www.iata.org

ASSALAMOALIKUM,

RAMADAN MUBARAK!

I am very pleased to inform American hajj organizers that Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Saudi officials have announced that French and English speaking pilgrims can now enter KSA via Riyadh and Dammam also. For the reference, please find the news below:

This is an official Saudi Arabian Ministry of Haj website, tasked
with providing comprehensive general information on the Hajj for
ENGLISH and FRENCH-speaking visitors.

Pilgrims can fly "in transit" through airports other than Jeddah
and Madinah but they must pass through immigration in those two
airports.

http://www.hajinformation.com/main/t30.htm

Best regards,
Haj Information Website
contact@hajinformation.com

I have forwarded this information to Iata and they will update this information shortly. I highly recommend all you brothers to also contact Iata and forward them this news so it can be updated on their website. This will help our Ummah in a huge way and help break monopoly of just entering from Jeddah.

Borek JANECEK
Database Publisher
IATA Netherlands Data Publications
Tel +31 (0)20 403 7996
Fax +31 (0)20 403 7985
timediting.indp@iata.org
IATA Netherlands Data Publications
Frankfurtstraat 2-8, 1175 RH Lijnden
P.O. Box 49, 1170 AA Badhoevedorp
The Netherlands
www.iata.org
Thank you so much brother for this information. I had questions regarding this issue to but after reading your respone i am very releived.
I will contact Iata myself reagrding this issue. Thank you so much for the information brother.
Please keep me informed.
JazakAllah.

Salam
I recieved another email from the minstry of Hajj stating:


Assalaamu Alaikum

Thank you for your email.

This is an official Saudi Arabian Ministry of Haj website, tasked
with providing comprehensive general information on the Hajj for
ENGLISH and FRENCH-speaking visitors.

We are trying to resolve this issue. We have repeatedly
requested an authoritative answer from the Ministry. In the
meantime, it would seem to be best to follow the airline advice
since they can prevent you from flying.

Best regards,
Haj Information Website


If we continue writing to them and we keep in touch then may be they will do somthing about this issue. This will benefit every one, so i kindly request every one to please keep writing and please don't give up.

Thank you.