Tabung Haji (TH) executive director Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman
KUALA LUMPUR: Prospective haj pilgrims need to download the Saudi Visa Bio application on their respective smartphones for the purpose of haj visa applications this year following its enforcement by the Saudi Arabian government.
Tabung Haji (TH) executive director Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman (pic) said in a statement on Tuesday (April 2) that the application can be downloaded through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
He said the application is a new innovation introduced by the Saudi Arabian government for this year's haj season, aimed at facilitating visa applications as well as shortening the process for pilgrims entering the holy land via Jeddah and Madinah.
Visa applications through the application cover four simple processes namely filling in the email address; uploading a scan of the Malaysian passport personal details page, a face scan and a scan of all ten fingerprints.
"Prospective pilgrims will receive a registration confirmation email from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia when their personal information have been successfully uploaded onto the application via the registered email.
"Prospective pilgrims are also reminded to hand over their passports to TH after receiving this confirmation for us to process their visa," he said.
Syed Saleh said Malaysia was among the first eight nations in the world besides Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kuwait, the United Kingdom, Tunisia and Morocco to be selected for the pilot project, taking into account Malaysia's reputation as one of the world's best haj operators having received various international recognitions and facilities from the Saudi Arabian government.
For more information on the use of the Saudi Visa Bio application as well as other TH services, visit TH official website at www.tabunghaji.gov.my or TH social media platforms or contact TH contact centre (THCC) at 03-6207 1919. - Bernama
