How Hajj works from Saudi Arabia
Inside the kingdom the operator is never far from the pilgrim, which changes what the console is for. A Makkah-based company has staff in the camps, in the hotels and at the Haram, so an alert can reach a person who is minutes away rather than an office in another country. Escalation is routed to whoever is nearest, and a leader can call the watch directly to say where to wait.
Residents performing Hajj or Umrah are often doing so with an elderly parent who has come on a visit visa, or are themselves older workers performing Hajj at the end of a long posting, with a first language that is not Arabic. The guide speaks Urdu, Bengali and Indonesian as readily as Arabic, which matters in a contingent where the group leader and the pilgrim may not share a language.
Risks for a Saudi group
The Nusuk card is identity, not safety
Every pilgrim carries the official card. It says who they are and where they are permitted; it does not say where they are or raise an alarm. The watch does the second job and does not replace the first.
Residents of many nationalities
Urdu, Bengali, Indonesian and Arabic in one contingent. The watch speaks each pilgrim’s language; the console routes by leader.
Operators on the ground
Staff already in Makkah can reach a pilgrim in minutes if they know where to go. Live location and a call to the watch turn a search into a walk.
Approval and supply inside the kingdom
The watch is supplied through a licensed Saudi importer, with the CST and SASO approvals filed in the importer’s name, and billed in riyals with VAT.
Questions from operators in Saudi Arabia
- Does the watch replace the Nusuk card?
- No. The Nusuk card is the official permit and identity document and every pilgrim must carry it. The watch is a safety device worn alongside it. The two do different jobs.
- Can a hospitality company use it for the foreign pilgrims it receives?
- Yes. The watches can be fitted on arrival at the airport or the hotel, with the group leader’s and the family’s numbers already in them, and collected at departure. Pricing is per pilgrim per pilgrimage.
- Is the price in riyals?
- Yes. SAR 599 including VAT for a family buying one watch, with the first pilgrimage’s connectivity included. Operators are priced per pilgrim per pilgrimage.
Apply to the Hajj 1448 / 2027 pilot
A small number of operators for the first season, at cost, with direct access to the engineering team.