Egyptian Umrah Portal Tightens Penalties for Forgery

Article (14) of the Egyptian Omra Portal Establishment Law states that any violation involving the falsification of the pilgrim's identification code, whether by the individual themselves or by someone else, shall be punishable by imprisonment. The law aims to organize the issuance of codes electronically, whereby travel agencies are required to develop Omra programs and upload data onto the portal, including their names and national IDs. Subsequently, a unique identification code is issued for each pilgrim, which the portal automatically connects to the Passport and Nationality Department at the Ministry of Interior to facilitate travel procedures. The system's goal is to improve the services provided to citizens, reduce fraud and manipulation, and strengthen Egyptian sovereignty over its citizens through monitoring and updating the procedures for issuing permits, speeding up the issuance of travel tickets, and protecting pilgrims from intermediaries.