KARACHI: Pakistani Umrah pilgrims will be required to undergo biometric verification from December onwards, according to the Saudi Embassy spokesperson.

The people will not be able to submit their applications in the Saudi embassy for Umrah visas until their fingerprints are taken, the spokesperson said.

The Saudi Embassy explained that the biometric verification will provide relief to the people of Pakistan. The people will no longer have to wait in long queues at Jeddah airport anymore, the spokesperson added.

Moreover, the relevant company, tasked to conduct biometric verification, has started to take fingerprints of future Umrah pilgrims.

On November 1, it was announced that all Pakistanis aspiring Umrah will have to get themselves verified first.

Thousands of Pakistanis travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah annually.