Before booking a package trip, such as an Umrah with flight and hotel, an agency in the European Union must give the traveller a standard information form summarising their rights. Its content comes from Directive (EU) 2015/2302 on package travel, as transposed in each country.
What is the standard information form?
A short text with regulated content telling the traveller that they are buying a package and have the rights set by the directive: the organiser’s liability, assistance if they are in difficulty, the right to terminate and protection if the organiser becomes insolvent.
Is an Umrah a package?
Yes, as soon as the agency sells at least two travel services together, for example flight and accommodation, for an overall price. That covers almost every Umrah and Hajj package.
What the form must mention
- the organiser’s name and the fact that it is responsible for the proper performance of the trip;
- the traveller’s key rights, in the wording of the official model;
- the body protecting the traveller against insolvency, that is the agency’s guarantor, and how to contact it;
- access to the directive as transposed into national law.
When to give it
Before the traveller is bound by a contract or offer. On a booking website this means: before the request is sent, with a visible link, and again in the confirmation e-mail.
Outside the European Union
In the United Kingdom, the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 set similar information duties, and flight-inclusive packages need ATOL protection. Elsewhere, follow your own country’s travel regulations.
How to do it simply
Qafilo builds the form from the agency’s details (registration, guarantor, insurer), links it to every booking request and to the e-mail sent to the customer, and flags missing legal details in the administration.
Frequently asked questions
Does the form replace the terms of sale?
No. It comes on top of the terms and the contract: it summarises the traveller’s rights, while the terms set the agency’s prices, payment and cancellation fees.
Does it apply to agencies outside the EU?
The form comes from the EU directive: it applies to agencies selling packages to travellers in the European Union. Agencies elsewhere follow their own country’s rules.
Must it be signed?
The rule is to give it before booking. Keeping a dated record that it was given, for example in the booking record, lets you prove it.