For Hajj and Umrah booking there are basically to 2 types of Umrah Operator and External agents. The Ministry of Hajj & Umrah in Saudi Arabia is the sole authority for obtaining the license.

For Umrah Operators:

• Every registered Travel Agent / Travel Company within Saudi Arabia must open a bank account with the Ministry approved bank. It will create your IBAN Number for all booking purposes going forward.
• This account is further used for all payment purposes through net banking and payment gateways.
• Every Agent is provided with a Google Authenticator access — This real time passcode service enables the agent to authenticate the booking with an OTP

For External Agents:

• External Agents also need to open a bank account with a Ministry approved bank within Saudi Arabia or their local country. It will create your IBAN Number for all booking purposes going forward.
• The bank account of External agents is tagged to their Umrah Operators under which they are registered.
• External Agents have full control of the bank account without any dependency on the Umrah Operator.
• Umrah Operator does not have any control of the bank account on External Agent.
• This provision is made only to successfully tag all transactions under the right Umrah Operator and External Agents.
• Every Agent is provided with a Google Authenticator access — This real time passcode service enables the agent to authenticate the booking with an OTP

Booking Process

The booking process has been made completely online and easy for all agents and travel operators:

• Upon successful registration, as an Umrah Operator and External Agents make Hajj & Umrah bookings on any approved OTA / B2B booking platform.
• UO & EA should register on the Umrah booking platform with their IBAN and all requisite details.
• Search and select the services they wish to book and proceed for booking
• At the time of booking confirmation, the agent is required to authenticate the booking with the passcode from the Google Authenticator. (It is received on the registered mobile number and email) — this is linked to IBAN number
• Once the booking is authenticated and vouchered, the system will provide a BRN (Booking reference Number)

Providing Services to Local Residents and GCC members:

• Residents of GCC countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait) do not need BRN or Visa for attending Umrah. They are provided with Visa on arrival.
• Other Mutamers / Pilgrims who hold a valid Schengen Visa or USA / UK Visa also fall under the category of Pre-approved Visa and do not need a BRN for their visit.
• To service these customers, you can provide local inventory (Directly contracted through extranet).
• The local inventory and services are also available in the Central Reservation System and do not generate a BRN on booking.
• This is just an additional option for residents and per-approved mutamers. They can also book other properties and services available in the system.

For More Information, about how to start your own Umrah Booking Services, Refer this guide: https://www.connectumrah.com/complete-guide-how-to-start-hajj-umrah-booking-service.html

About Connect Umrah:

Connect Umrah is the most advanced Hajj & Umrah Booking Software developed by Qtech Software. Connect Umrah offers seamless booking experience across B2B and B2C for all Umrah Operators and External Agents.

Travel Consolidators, Wholesalers, Online Travel Agencies who are looking for a plug and play solution to start their Hajj & Umrah Booking Service can leverage the technologically superior and advanced booking engines present on Connect Umrah.

Connect Umrah provides the complete Booking Software for Hajj and Umrah Booking with in-built features like Hotel Booking, Transportation Ground Services and Visa Application.

More Details Available here: www.connectumrah.com