Two more tour operators permitted to render Umrah services

On May 15, the Committee on Religious Affairs announced the results of its latest selection round for issuing individual licenses to organize and conduct Umrah trips. As a result, two more companies — Centrum Holidays LLC based in Tashkent and Buxoro Umra Jamiyati LLC based in Bukhara — were awarded licenses.

The committee had previously announced on March 7 that it was reopening the application process for Umrah licenses for the second time this year.

According to Kun.uz sources, more than 10 applications were submitted to the licensing authority, but only two companies received approval. The Committee on Religious Affairs could not be reached for confirmation, as the phone numbers listed on its official website were not responding. Moreover, neither the announcement of the call for applications nor the results of the competition were posted on the committee’s official social media platforms widely used by the public.

With the latest additions, the number of officially licensed Umrah tour operators in Uzbekistan has reached 14 (see list).

For comparison, in previous years, nearly 100 travel agencies were authorized to offer Umrah services in Uzbekistan. However, the introduction of stricter requirements — particularly the $1 million reserve fund condition — has significantly reduced the number of operators. In November 2024, only 12 firms were licensed to organize Umrah pilgrimages.

Earlier, the chairman of the Committee on Religious Affairs, Sodiqjon Toshboyev, stated that the new licensing requirements were not intended to create a monopoly and claimed that the $1 million reserve should not be seen as excessive.

The committee also previously reported that 31 travel companies had been found to be providing Umrah services without a license. Criminal cases were opened against those responsible, and fines of 75 million UZS were imposed on the firms operating without authorization.