The Tourism Industry Act says a tour operating or travel agency business may only be run by a company that holds a valid licence.
Warning sign: the seller is a person or a social media account with no company name, or will not give the full company name.
Warning sign: no licence number, or a number you cannot find in MOTAC's table. Follow the steps on the Check a licence page.
The Bidang column in MOTAC's table shows the licence scope, with wording such as “Inbound, Outbound, Ticketing, Umrah atau Ziarah”.
Warning sign: the company's row does not show Umrah or Ziarah under Bidang. Ask the agency and MOTAC why.
The advert
MOTAC's guideline asks an Umrah package advert to state the company name, company address and licence number, and the advertising approval serial number.
Warning sign: an advert missing any of that.
The ad approval number is in the form IUxxxx and must be printed on the advert itself.
Warning sign: the agent does not know the number, or will not show it.
Payment and visa
According to the Saudi ministry's FAQ, you are not required to pay additional amounts outside the contract unless you add services not mentioned in it.
Warning sign: asked for extra money outside the contract, cash to a personal account, or no receipt.
Warning sign: pressure to pay today or the price goes up, with no written quote.
The haj.gov.sa FAQ says an Umrah visa cannot be issued by the external agent without service packages (accommodation and transport). If an agent offers a visa alone, ask how it is done.
What you can do
Ask for every promise in writing in the quote or contract, including hotel names, flights and what is included.
Write your own checklist, then put it into the Compare quotes tool to see what is not yet ticked on each quote.
