ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Good news for those who wish to undertake the holy Hajj 2026 pilgrimage, as approximately 16,000 seats are empty under Pakistan’s Private Hajj Scheme.
Official sources confirmed that there are four days left until the booking window expires. The online portal for private Hajj bookings at the Ministry of Religious Affairs will be closed on October 17, and the ministry has instructed all private Hajj organizers to finalize the registration process within the period.
A total of 44,000 pilgrims have already made bookings under the private scheme, and 16,000 places remain vacant. Private tour operators opened their gates for applications on September 19, under their revised 60,000-pilgrim quota, down from 90,000.
The ministry further stated that 21,654 pilgrims who could not perform Hajj earlier will be accommodated this year.
Based on official statistics, 37,903 new pilgrims are eligible to apply for Hajj 2026 under the private scheme, aside from 22,097 people who were deferred in the previous year and have since been re-entered in the priority processing. Private tour operators are also mandated to file affidavits attesting to the inclusion of these deferred pilgrims prior to approving new applicants.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) has completed the Government Hajj Scheme 2026 application process. The ministry received 118,060 applications from all over the country, culminating in the closure of the submission period.
The process, which was for 17 days, witnessed a robust public turnout despite being done on a first-come, first-served basis via online and bank services. Applicants were free to select short- or long-duration Hajj packages.
For the government scheme, 50 percent of the overall cost has already been paid as an initial payment by the applicants. The balance payment will be made from November 1, 2025.
The overall cost under the government scheme is estimated to be anywhere between PKR 1.15 million and PKR 1.25 million, contingent upon the region of the applicant and the duration of stay in Saudi Arabia.
