ALL 65 tourism agencies with the “muassasah” (handling umrah) status in the country that have the Umrah Special Licence are required to use the Integrated Manasik Monitoring System (IMAMS) for umrah visa applications, effective today.

Deputy Tourism and Culture Minister Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the implementation of IMAMS, the sole official means of having umrah visa applications processed by the Saudi Arabian embassy in Malaysia, was aimed at curbing fraud involving umrah packages.

“The failure of agencies managing umrah trips to comply with this directive will result in action taken by the ministry, and can lead to their licence being revoked,” she said today.

Mas Ermieyati said IMAMS was comprehensive, integrated and compatible with the Saudi government’s system.

Its implementation involves a charge of RM45 per pilgrim, the lowest in the world compared with other nations that also adopt the system, like Jordan, Egypt and Sudan.

Mas Ermieyati said IMAMS would ensure that every pilgrim was covered by umrah takaful (insurance), with comprehensive coverage offered at RM40 per pilgrim.

“The rate is the lowest in the market for a comprehensive travel takaful scheme, which meets the requirements of the ministry.

“The overall charges involved in IMAMS, and should be included in the existing umrah cost for each pilgrim, come up to RM90.10, including the goods and services tax at RM5.10.” – Bernama, December 15, 2017.