Religious Affairs Committee of Uzbekistan released a list of tour companies licensed to organize Umrah pilgrimages.
Only 12 companies made the list. Those not included are prohibited from offering such services. Additionally, organizing pilgrimages at locations that are different from the company’s addresses is not permitted.
Companies found violating licensing regulations face a fine of 200 times the baseline calculation amount, totaling $5,880.
In February, Uzbekistan’s Transport Prosecutor’s Office initiated criminal cases against officials from 39 companies that organized Umrah pilgrimages. Nearly 4,000 citizens paid large sums but did not receive the promised services.
These incidents led to stricter licensing requirements. Under a law enacted in July, Umrah services became a regulated activity, with licensing authority transferred to Religious Affairs Committee.
A Cabinet of Ministers' resolution in October introduced new conditions for licensing, including a mandatory $1 million reserve in the Pilgrimage Fund, employment of a qualified religious specialist and advance purchase of round-trip tickets for pilgrims.
Responding to questions about the $1 million reserve requirement earlier, chairperson of Religious Affairs Committee Sodikjon Toshboev said it was “not a large sum”.
“As you may know, the previous [requirement] was $100,000. About 15,000 of our citizens were stranded in Saudi Arabia, and the government had to repatriate them,” he said.
Prior to tightening the regulations, as of February, 134 tour operators in Uzbekistan provided Umrah pilgrimage services. That number has now dropped to just 12, representing only 8.9% of the original total.
