The period of the Hari Raya Idul Fitrialso known asEid-el-Fitris one of the most important and eagerly awaited moments for Muslim communities around the world. The celebration marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
It's also a time of exceptional closures or changes to the opening hours and services offered by public institutions, including embassies and consulates of Muslim-majority countries.
Ramadan 2024 began on Monday, March 11, 2024 and will end on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.. The end date has been made official by the Conseil français du culte musulman (CFCM): April 1, 2024.
Service degraded during the Hari Raya Idul Fitri period
During the Hari Raya Idul Fitri period, it is common for embassies and consulates in Muslim countries to operate in downgraded service mode, meaning a significant reduction in their capacity to process new visa applications as well as provide information and answer applicants' questions.
What's more, some of these institutions may even be completely closed for the duration of the holiday, putting all their visa-related activities and other administrative services on hold. The main reason for this is that the majority of employees at these establishments are Muslims themselves, and wish to observe religious rites with their respective families.
Here is the list of Muslim-majority countries that have scheduled a public holiday for the end of Ramadan. :
- Africa Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Chad, Mauritania, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia
- Asia Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India (large Muslim minorities), Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei
- Europe Turkey, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro
Examples from Indonesia and Azerbaijan
To illustrate this situation, the immigration services ofIndonesia recently announced that they will not be processing any e-visa applications between April 8 and 15, 2024, due to the Hari Raya Idul Fitri holiday. This delay and the impact on consular services could be similar in other Indonesian embassies and consulates around the world.
Similarly, theAzerbaijan has also declared that its consular services will be on reduced duty between April 10 and 12, 2024, due to this religious holiday. These two examples clearly show how this festive period can have a major impact on the ability of these countries' embassies to process visa applications and provide adequate consular services.
The above situation raises several challenges for visa applicants wishing to travel to a Muslim country during the Hari Raya Idul Fitri period. It is essential to consider the precise dates of the holiday and the potential delays in processing visa applications during this period. This generally means submitting the application well in advance and avoiding the dates surrounding the holiday.
English 
Français 
Deutsch 
Italiano 
Español