Govt extends private Hajj booking deadline by five days

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs has extended the deadline for private Hajj bookings by five days, giving approved operators until October 22 to finalise arrangements under the Hajj Policy.

According to a statement from the ministry, 60,000 seats have been allocated for private Hajj this year.

So far, 55,500 pilgrims have completed their bookings, while around 4,500 seats remain available under the private scheme.

A spokesperson for the ministry advised pilgrims to verify the status of their Hajj companies through the official website of the Ministry of Religious Affairs before making any payments.

Pilgrims have been urged to make all Hajj payments only through official banking channels directly to the company’s account, and to obtain a copy of the Hajj agreement along with a computerised receipt for confirmation.

The spokesperson also encouraged applicants to check their booking details via the Ministry’s official website or the Pak Hajj 2026 mobile app to ensure transparency and accuracy.

MoHR SOUGHT APPLICATIONS TWICE

Despite the closure of initial Hajj 2026 applications deadline on July 11, the federal government decided on August 3 to re-open applications for pilgrims. While 450,000 individuals had registered for Hajj, there were still concerns that the full quota of 1.2 million pilgrims may not be fulfilled from Pakistan.

Therefore, the government allowed registered pilgrims to submit applications, along with the initial fees, from August 4 to August 9, and later unregistered pilgrims were allowed to submit applications from August 11 to August 16.

The MoRA had earlier officially opened applications for the Private Hajj Scheme 2026, giving thousands of aspiring pilgrims an opportunity to secure their place for the upcoming holy journey.

The total quota allocated for the Private Hajj Scheme stands at 60,000 pilgrims, split between 22,097 returning applicants and 37,903 new applicants.

Applications for the government scheme were received both online and through designated banks on a first-come, first-served basis, with options available for both short- and long-duration packages.

The federal cabinet gave approval to the Hajj Policy 2026 in July.