Big relief for Umrah goers: Dollars to be sold from two locations in Malé

BML has started selling dollars at Salman Mosque's conference hall and BML's Hulhumalé branch to facilitate the purchase of dollars for pilgrims during who would be travelling to Umrah for the upcoming Ramadan.

The service will be available from Wednesday until the 27th of February from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm as well as from March 2nd to the 13th from 9:30 am to 11:30 am.

Each pilgrim would be able to purchase USD 500, with one person being able to buy dollars for a maximum of five people. However, ID cards or passports of the pilgrims must be presented to BML to make the purchase. Payments would have to be made either via BML's debit card or cash. If pilgrims send a proxy, the individual's ID card must also be presented, BML said.

The bank said it would only sell dollars to those on the list of pilgrims submitted by Umrah groups. Other Umrah pilgrims would be able withdraw dollars from the departure hall of Velana International Airport by completing the transaction through the USD booking portal, BML advised.

Customers living outside the Malé area would also have access to USD at their nearest BML branch.

The bank has also decided to increase the dollar limit on debit cards for Umrah pilgrims to USD1,500 following a directive by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. This is applicable for pilgrims travelling during Ramadan and the first six days of Shawwal.

In addition to the USD1,500 limit added to BML's debit cards, debit cards will also have the existing monthly limit of USD 250.