The UAE has issued new rules to regulate the operations of Haj and Umrah contractors, local reports said.
Every Haj and Umrah contractor operating in the country must have his own permanent office with necessary licences before practising the profession under a decree issued by the ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Awqaf. The ministry's Haj and Umrah Department director Saif Al Eter, quoted by the Gulf News, said clauses of the decree would be applicable to the contractors and national and expatriate pilgrims. "A contractor must submit an ownership or tenancy contract of the office and appoint an administrative employee whom the ministry can contact," the decree says.