Udaipur, April 13, 2025: The Saudi government, in another policy change, has announced that it will not permit children below the age of 12 to perform Haj this year. This decision has put a spanner in the Haj plans of many pilgrims who were either planning to travel to Saudi for Haj with their children.

Haj Committee Issues Notification

The Haj Committee of India, has issued a circular on April 13, notifying the decision of the Saudi government. Accordingly, the Haj Committee has announced that it will reeimburse the full payment made for children under the age of 12. Notably the last date for depositing the third and final installment for Haj through Haj Committee of India was April 9, 2025. Accordingly, the Haj application of 291 applicants has been cancelled as a result of the policy decision by Saudi Arabia.

The HCoI, in the same circular, has also said that other  pilgrims in the same Cover as these children, will proceed with their Haj pilgrimage as per the  schedule. It added that if these affected members want a full or partial cancellation of their Cover(s), the n they need personally do so through the cancellation option in the  Haj Suvidha App or on the Haj Committee website OR otherwise, may contact their respective State Haj Committee office by Monday, April 14. If done before April 14, no cancellation charges will be applicable. For cancellations made after April 14, will attract cancellation charges as per the provisions laid down in the Haj Guidelines 2025.

Meanwhile the respective State Haj Committees have also been asked to contact the  cover members of such affected pilgrims, for the needful to be done in time to avoid further inconvenience.

Children Affected

The  number of children below the age of 12 who have applied through the Haj Committee of India and whose pilgrimage is now cancelled, is as follows:

• Andhra Pradesh: 3
• Bihar: 4
• Delhi: 11reas
• Gujarat: 46
• Haryana: 1
• Jammu and Kashmir: 2
• Jharkhand: 2
• Karnataka: 36
• Kerala: 8
• Maharashtra: 56
• Madhya Pradesh: 21
• Odisha: 1
• Rajasthan: 5
• Telangana: 37
• Tamil Nadu: 36
• Uttarakhand: 1
• Uttar Pradesh: 18
• West Bengal: 3

Other Saudi Policy Changes on Visa during Haj 2025

Earlier last week, the Saudi government had announced a ban on visit and business visas for 14 countries, viz. India, Pakistan, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Nigeria, Algeria, Indonesia, Iraq, Sudan, Bangladesh and Libya. No visas will be issued to visitors from these countries from April 14 till the end of June 2025. Those holding Visit Visas issued before April 13, must exit the country before April 29. Haj pilgrims will begin to land in Saudi from April 29 onwards.

Reasons for Policy Changes

In 2024, there were nearly 1200 deaths during the Haj period, which were a result of illegal visitors posing as pilgrims leading to overcrowding and intense heat. The unauthorised pilgrims caused immense mismanagement, congestion and logistical difficulties, prompting the Saudi government to indulge in restrictions for the Haj pilgrimage in 2025. Notably, as per reports, the number of Indian pilgrims allowed through the non-government HCoI quota has also been reduced from 75000 to 10000. These restrictions and guidelines aim to  better regulate the pilgrimage and underlines the importance of adhering to correct protocols and regulations during the pilgrimage.