The Ministry of Endowments in the Syrian regime’s government announced the opening of registration for the Hajj season for the first time in 12 years.

The ministry stated on Sunday, March 31, that registration for the Hajj season of the year 1445 AH will open starting from Monday, April 1, until Tuesday, April 9.

Registration will be conducted through electronic platforms and designated centers at the Ministry of Interior.

In February, this step was preceded by a number of tourist offices in Damascus and its countryside resuming work on registering trips to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah, according to what local sources told Enab Baladi.

The Syrian Ambassador in Riyadh, Ayman Soussan, had announced at the beginning of February that Syrian pilgrims would start their Hajj journey from Syria, under the supervision of the Syrian Ministry of Endowments, after a 12-year hiatus since the file was taken from the hands of the government.

During September 2023, the Saudi Embassy issued electronic visas for Syrian pilgrims through private agent offices contracted with tourist offices in Syria, but this was halted after just one month.

Regarding the Syrian Supreme Hajj Committee, it did not comment on the regime’s Ministry of Endowments’ announcement at the time of writing this report, while no official news has been released about signing a Hajj protocol from the Saudi side with officials from the Syrian Ministry of Endowments, or a decision from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to hand over the Hajj file to Damascus, at the time of preparing this report.

Supreme Hajj Committee.. Since 2013

The Syrian Supreme Hajj Committee, an institution of the Syrian opposition, released a statement on February 27, explaining that the start of registration for the Hajj duty for the 1445 Hijri season has not been announced in any of its known offices yet.

It also pointed to the necessity of avoiding paying any sums or handing over passports to offices that claim to be for the registration of Syrian pilgrims, according to the statement.

Since 2013, the Supreme Hajj Committee affiliated with the opposition’s Syrian National Coalition (SNC) has been managing the Hajj file in coordination with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj, with diplomatic relations having been suspended since then until the year 2023 between Saudi Arabia and the Syrian regime.

Since the end of the last Hajj season, Umrah trips have been active through private tourist offices in the Syrian provinces under the control of the Syrian regime, starting from Jordan or Lebanon, by air or land, as monitored by Enab Baladi.