July 11, 2025 - The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) of the Government of India has announced the Hajj Policy 2026 as approved by the Government of India after consultations with stakeholders and in accordance with guidelines from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). ​The policy outlines the allocation of Hajj seats, application procedures, eligibility criteria and other guidelines for Indian pilgrims undertaking the Hajj pilgrimage in 2026.

The following points are a part of the full Hajj policy, which have been drafted after detailed consultations and accounting for the norms and regulations as communicated by Saudi Arabia that hosts the Hajj pilgrimage.

Change or additions to the policy, if any, shall be announced in due course of time.

Even as a majority of the policy features remain the same as from Hajj Policy 2025, one major inclusion likely in the Hajj Policy of 2026 is the option of a Short Hajj Package.

Short Hajj Package

The Haj Committee of India (HCoI) may operate a Short Hajj Package with a total stay of 20 days in the KSA. This will apply only to a maximum of 10,000 pilgrims. An option for availing this package shall be provided to all applicants at the time of submission of the Haj Application Form (HAF). The package shall not be changed after the submission of HAF.

Pilgrims who opt for the Short Haj Package and are selected through Qurrah (randomised selection) shall be allotted the short-duration package, subject to the availability of seats. In case the application number exceeds 10,000, a separate Qurrah shall be conducted for selection, and a waiting list will be maintained for the remaining applicants.

The Short Hajj Package will be operated at the following Embarkation Points only:

1. Delhi
2. Mumbai
3. Bengaluru
4. Chennai
5. Hyderabad
6. Cochin
7. Ahmedabad

The regular category of duration of stay of pilgrims may be up to 40-45 days and may vary as per schedule provided by the airlines and approved by General Authority of Civil Aviation, KSA.

Eligibility

All Muslims of sound mind and body can perform the Hajj except those in the below cases:

• Those without machine readable passport.
• Repeaters cannot perform Hajj through HCoI (exceptions are as mentioned above).
• Persons submitting false information shall be de-boarded and banned.
• Those with severe health conditions such as terminal cancer, advances respiratory, kidney or liver disease, TB or senility.
• Ladies not accompanied by Sharia Mehram, except those covered under the below category of Ladies Travelling Without Mehram
• Ladies in advanced stages of pregnancy.
• Persons against whom international travel is prohibited.
• Children below 12 years of age, as per Saudi guidelines.
• Consent of parent/legal guardian is mandatory for applicants below 18 years of age.

Ladies Travelling Without Mehram

• Ladies aged 45 and above travelling without Mehram can perform Hajj in groups of four or more.
• Female companion aged 45 to 60 years is a must for LWM pilgrims aged 65 or above. No LWM pilgrim aged 65 or above will be registered individually.

Cover Details

• Cover size shall be between 1-5 Adults.
• Composition of Cover will be only family members and blood/near relatives.
• Accommodation will be allocated gender-wise.
• If head of Cover cancels, he/she should nominate a male member of such Cover as head.

Once in a Lifetime Hajj through HCoI

• Those who have performed the Hajj once through the HCoI, will not be eligible for applying through the HCoI. They can apply through the HGOs.
• Mandatory for pilgrims aged 65 and above (including LWM above 65 years) to be accompanied by a companion. Repeaters in this category will be allowed on payment of additional charges as applicable from time to time.
• Age of Mehram and companions accompanying pilgrims aged 65 and above must be between 18-60 years. Companions accompanying LWM above 65 years must be between 45-60 years of age.
• A lady pilgrim or pilgrims above 65 accompanied by repeater Mehram or companion must give an undertaking that no other first time Mehram or companion is available in the family.

Undertaking by Applicants

• Applications of those above 65 will get priority. But if it exceeds quota, then lots will be drawn. Applicants will have to submit a solemn declaration and undertaking in the format given by HCoI.
• Undertaking for General Category is mandatory.

Order of Priority

• Priority to ages of 65 or above, including LWM.
• LWM between 45-65 years of age.
• General category.

65 or Above Applicant

• For non-LWM pilgrims of the age of 65 or above, companion is should be immediate relative namely husband/wife/brother/sister/son/daughter/son-in-law/daughter-in- law, grandson/granddaughter and nephew/niece.
• The age of the companion must be below 60 years on the date specified by HCoI.
• If husband and wife are travelling in a Cover under reserved category and both are aged 65 or above, they will be allowed two companions, who will be blood relation of the pilgrims.

Qurrah (Randomised Digital Selection)

Qurrah is a computerised draw of lots which will apply to States and UTs where applicants exceed their allotted quota. A separate draw of non-selected Covers shall be held to allocate a wait list number to all such Covers.

Cancellation/Refund

• Full refund only in case of death or serious ailment.
• Penalties will be imposed in case of any other reason of cancellation.
• Refunds within one month.

If selected pilgrim wants to cancel, he/she must submit a cancellation letter to the relevant State/UT Hajj Committee.

Payments

All provisionally selected pilgrims will be provided unique bank reference number which must be quoted for depositing advance and balance amounts in SBI/authorised nationalised bank.

Accommodation

As per Saudi regulations, accommodation has to be arranged for the pilgrims in advance through the Consulate General of India, Jeddah. The detailed KSA regulations with respect to accommodation would be communicated by HCoI.

Pilgrims who want and are entitled to stay in Rubat will be allowed to stay in Rubat, subject to KSA norms. No charge for their accommodation will be levied by HCoI. If charges are levied on those who use Rubat facility, refund will be provided.

Medical and Health Check

• Medical screening and fitness certificate is mandatory for every applicant.
• Every selected pilgrim shall obtain a Health and Training (HAT) Card and Hajj Guide from the State Hajj Committee/Union Territory Hajj Committee upon submission of pay-in-slip for the advance Hajj amount.
• Pilgrims must get themselves inoculated against meningitis and obtain a vaccination certificate on the Health and Training (HAT) Card before proceeding to the Embarkation Point.
• The MoMA, in collaboration with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), will ensure timely availability of all vaccines for Hajj pilgrims.
• Oral polio vaccine is mandatory for all pilgrims six weeks before the start of the Hajj journey. They will be given another dose of oral polio vaccine at the time of their disembarkation in KSA.

Embarkation Points

Pilgrims should give two preferences for EPs in order of priority from the following:

1. Srinagar
2. Gaya
3. Guwahati
4. Indore
5. Jaipur
6. Nagpur
7. Delhi
8. Mumbai
9. Kolkata
10. Bengaluru
11. Hyderabad
12. Cochin
13. Chennai
14. Ahmedabad
15. Lucknow
16. Kannur
17. Calicut

In Case of Death

In case of death owing to natural causes or accident during the Hajj period, burial rituals may be performed as per prevailing practice in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Adahi

Adahi (qurbani) is permitted only through entities authorised by KSA for the same. Pilgrims should not fall prey to fraudsters in the name of qurbani.

Legal Status

HCoI, as such, does not come under the purview of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The pilgrims, therefore, cannot claim any compensation against HCoI under the Consumer Protection Act or under any other law for the time being in force for any deficiency in the service rendered and/or any act of commission and/or omission beyond the control of HCoI.

Persons with Special Needs

The persons with benchmark disability/disabilities who cannot travel alone, as certified by the medical authorities, applying for Hajj must be accompanied by an able-bodied person during all stages of the Hajj journey.

He/ She should be the blood relative/ spouse of such a person.

Hajj application forms can be filled and submitted by pilgrims online through HCoI website at hajcommittee.gov.in or through the Haj Suvidha mobile application.  

Allotment of Hajj Seats

Stage 1: Of the total seats allocated to India, 70% of the quota will be allocated to the HCoI and 30% will be given to the Hajj Group Organisers (HGO).

Stage 2: Of the total seats allocated to HCoI under Stage -1, quota for State Hajj Inspectors (SHIs) in the ratio of 1 SHI for 150 pilgrims shall be subtracted from the overall Hajj quota. The remaining seats shall be distributed across all the States and Union Territories (UTs) in proportion to their Muslim population.

Stage 3: Distribution to States and UTs shall be through qurrah (draw of lots). If there are surplus seats then they will be distributed as provided in Stages 4 and 5.

Stage 4: Up to 500 surplus seats shall first be allotted for Mehrams. If there is still surplus then 2,000 seats will be given to Jammu & Kashmir and remaining to Ladies Without Mehram (LWM) groups. In States or UTs where there is a marginal increase of applications by 5%, maximum of 500 seats will be provided from surplus.

Stage 5: Remainder of the surplus seats, if any, shall be allocated to the States and UTs in proportion to their Muslim population.

Hajj Suvidha App

A dedicated Hajj Suvidha App was launched during Hajj 2024. Advisory on functionality of the app will be provided by the HCoI. Hajj Suvidha App provides access to training content, accommodation, baggage, flights, helpline, grievance, feedback, language translation and other information related to the pilgrimage. A Hajj Suvidha smart wrist band, with all pilgrimage-related features, may be provided by HCoI to pilgrims.