Only 38 registered companies allowed to issue umrah visa - Nazri

Only 38 travel and tour companies which are registered with the Saudi Arabian government are allowed to issue umrah visas, said Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

He said the list of the 38 companies could be obtained from the ministry's website.

"Only authorised companies can issue the umrah visa. People intending to perform the umrah should visit the website and see for themselves which companies have been given permission by the Saudi Arabian government," Nazri said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (Kinabatangan-BN) at the Dewan Rakyat sitting, Tuesday.

Bung Mokhtar wanted to know the steps taken by the government to stop cases of umrah pilgrims being tricked out of their trips because of visa problems.

"People who want to buy the umrah packages should visit the ministry's website and don't buy a package from a company if its name is not in the list of the 38 companies.

"The public has to be careful. An umrah package usually costs RM4,500 (on the average), and if a company offers less than RM3,000, then it is a scam. It is not enough to cover the trip," he said.

Commenting on cases of umrah pilgrims who were tricked, Mohamed Nazri said the victims could bring the matter to the Malaysian Consumer Claims Tribunal under the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism to get their money back.

He said from 2009 until May this year, nine cases of umrah scams were recorded, involving licensed tour and travel companies, and one unlicensed company.

The cases involved 3,611 victims, with an estimated loss of RM14.1 million.