ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs has officially started accepting applications for the 2026 private Hajj scheme, making room for 37,903 new pilgrims this year. In parallel, private Hajj operators are also required to prioritize 22,097 individuals who were unable to perform Hajj last year despite registering.
As per ministry directives, private Hajj operators must first accommodate those who missed out in 2025 before considering new applicants. These 22,097 pilgrims have already been registered, and operators are mandated to submit an affidavit confirming that all deferred applicants have been accommodated prior to processing fresh applications.
The total number of pilgrims allowed under the private Hajj scheme has been fixed at 60,000. This figure is inclusive of both the carried-forward pilgrims and new applicants. With this arrangement, the backlog from last year is expected to be cleared, while also giving a chance to thousands of new pilgrims to participate.
Earlier, on August 23, the government closed applications for the 2026 Hajj under the official scheme after receiving an overwhelming response. A total of 118,060 people applied within just 17 days through both online portals and designated banks, prompting authorities to stop accepting further submissions.
The ministry noted that applicants selected both short and extended-duration Hajj packages. As part of the process, applicants were required to deposit half of the total Hajj cost upfront, with the remainder due in a second installment.
In a related development, the federal cabinet recently approved the Hajj Policy 2026, which increased the government’s quota to 70%, signaling a larger role for public-sector facilitation in next year’s pilgrimage operations.
