Confusion swept through Nigeria on Monday, with citizens expressing concerns that Saudi Arabia’s recent visa restrictions could impact participation in the 2025 Hajj.
This confusion stemmed from reports that suggested Nigeria was among the countries banned from entering Saudi Arabia starting on April 13, 2025.
However, the Federal Government swiftly refuted these claims.
The Saudi government had issued a notice, widely circulated by Gulf-based media outlets, announcing a temporary suspension of short-term visa issuance to nationals from 14 countries, including Nigeria.
The suspension, effective from April 13, 2025, will impact various visa types, including business visas, tourist e-visas, and family visit visas.
Countries included in this new restriction, apart from Nigeria, are Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, India, Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan, Iraq, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
The directive indicated that holders of existing short-term Saudi visas from these countries could still travel to Saudi Arabia before April 13, but must exit the kingdom by April 29, 2025.
Failure to comply could result in penalties, including a potential five-year entry ban.
The suspension is expected to remain in place until June, coinciding with the conclusion of the Hajj season.
Saudi authorities explained that the policy aims to regulate travel in preparation for the Hajj season, following concerns about overcrowding and the misuse of non-pilgrimage visas during the 2024 Hajj, which saw over 1,300 fatalities, mainly due to extreme heat.
The high death toll was attributed to many pilgrims not having official Hajj permits and instead using unauthorized means to travel.
Saudi Arabia’s quota system allocates a limited number of Hajj permits to each country, typically distributed via a lottery.
However, the high cost of official Hajj packages often drives many individuals to seek alternative, unapproved travel routes.
The announcement of the visa restrictions sparked widespread misinformation on social media in Nigeria, with many fearing that the policy would bar Nigerian pilgrims from attending the 2025 Hajj entirely.
A representative from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) clarified to the press that such restrictions were not uncommon, stating, “Countries often adjust visa policies to meet specific objectives.”
The official advised that stakeholders should seek further clarification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Saudi authorities.
It was also revealed that the visa suspension would not apply to pilgrims registered under the official Hajj scheme, which is facilitated by NAHCON or approved tour operators.
Nigerians intending to perform the Hajj through authorized channels would still be granted entry to Saudi Arabia during the pilgrimage season.
In addition, the suspension aligns with a previous restriction in February 2025, which limited travel from the same 14 countries to single-entry visas valid only for 30 days and indefinitely suspended one-year multiple-entry visas.
Alkasim Abdulkadir, Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement yesterday, clarifying that the viral reports claiming visa restrictions for Nigeria and other countries were entirely false.
Saudi authorities, he confirmed, had discredited the misinformation.
The statement cited the Saudi Tourism Centre, which confirmed that no such ban existed.
It clarified that the only valid restriction applied to tourist visa holders during the Hajj season, stating, “Individuals holding a tourist visa are not permitted to perform Hajj, enter, or stay in Makkah between April 29 and June 11, 2025 (from 01 Thul Quda to 14 Thul Hijjah 1446 AH).”
The statement stressed that the Hajj visa remained the sole authorized travel document for pilgrims during the period and urged the public to avoid spreading unverified information.
It advised travelers to rely on official government sources for updates.
