Saudi Ends Mahram (Male Guardian) Rule For Visas, Hajj, Travel For Women
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: In yet another reformation, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has changed the Mahram rule, allowing women to travel or perform religious pilgrims such as Hajj without a male guardian or Mahram. The historic shift in rules is part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030. The kingdom no longer requires women to have a mahram (male guardian) for Hajj.
A mahram refers to a close relative with whom the marriage is completely prohibited such as the blood relation, marriage which includes parents, children, siblings, uncles, aunts, and certain in-laws. With the change, the Gulf nation now officially permits women to apply for passports and travel abroad independently without male guardian permission from the age of 21.
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The rule is expected to further empower women to pursue education, work, pilgrimage, or explore the country at their will without a male guardian. It is reported that the removal of the longstanding mahram requirement was to consider the changing societal context while respecting Islamic values, promoting women’s economic participation, cultural openness, and inclusive development.
Notably, from now onwards, hotels and tourism services no longer require women to prove a guardian relationship upon check-in, easing ways for solo female visitors in the country. People, irrespective of their gender, can now get visas and passports through platforms such as Absher. However, the guardian-reporting alerts within that system would still be existing in some cases, as per a report by Hajj reporters.
With the change in Mahram rule, women can have professional mobility, cultural participation, religious autonomy and societal confidence at large.
