“Our previous experience in the eService arena is an evidence of the initiative’s effectiveness; the initiative will help extend our services, easily and readily to both citizens and expatriates at all times,” Dr. Mohammed Taher Al Qattan, Director of Religious Affairs at the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs and Waqf, said.
“The services received remarkable demand and extensively helped reduce the number of customers who physically approach the ministry to complete their paperwork,” he added.
“The Ministry is always keen to provide high-quality services through the use of technology, in collaboration with the eGovernment Authority.”
“In the near future, a great demand is expected from citizens and residents who have the will to perform Umrah rituals during the holy month of Ramadan,” he said. “Therefore, we are pleased to offer the ‘Hajj and Umrah Agencies Directory’ service, which enables citizens and residents to search via the portal for contact details of the licensed Hajj/Umrah agencies within the Kingdom; and provides a list of instructions and directions that are relevant to the Hajj and Umrah practices.”
“We have also launched the service ‘Pilgrim Registration Enquiry’ which allows pilgrims to verify their registration with the previously agreed agency in order to perform their hajj rituals,” Dr. Al Qattan, said.
The ‘Pilgrims Feedback on the Hajj Travel Agencies’ service is also available to allow pilgrims the opportunity to express their opinion about their selected hajj agency. The intention behind this service is to help the monitoring and evaluation committee to evaluate agencies with the purpose of continuously improving their offerings; considering that the opinions of pilgrims have a direct impact on the agency’s overall assessment.
Dr. Al Qattan urged citizens, who have the intention of performing Hajj this year, to register with the registered agencies before the assigned deadline (on 25th, Sept, 2012), in order for the concerned authorities to take the necessary measures and provide relevant services. He also advised to register via the portal since agencies have already begun confirming enrolled names.
“We have also launched the ‘Registration and Renewal of Hajj Travel Agents Licenses’ service, which allows citizens to apply for a new Hajj travel agents license from the ministry and enables travel agents to renew their expired license. Additionally, the user will be able to pay the registration and renewal fees through the portal,” the general secretary, said.
‘Hajj Services’ allows travel agents to complete all transactions through the portal, aiming to facilitate and provide the best services to pilgrims to help accomplish Hajj smoothly and protect their rights.