The government has decided to prioritise elderly citizens for next year’s Hajj pilgrimage, granting the opportunity to all individuals over the age of 70 who have been on the waiting list for at least three years, even if it requires moving some younger applicants further down the queue.
Under this new policy, eligible pilgrims are defined as those who paid their Hajj fees by December 31, 2023, and will have reached the age of 70 by December 31, 2026.
A total of 324 individuals aged 70 and above will be granted the opportunity to perform Hajj in 1448 AH (2027) under this regulation. This group includes 86 individuals who are over the age of 75.
The Islamic Ministry noted that while this decision may result in a delay of approximately one year for some individuals under the age of 65 currently in the queue, it offers hope to many senior citizens who have been waiting years to fulfil their religious obligation.
The Ministry has also decided to prioritise those over 65 in the queue this year, ensuring that individuals aged between 65 and 69, who were already projected to go to Hajj next year, do not face any further delays in their scheduled departure.
The Ministry further clarified that under this policy, those aged 65 to 69 who were previously estimated to perform Hajj next year will not experience any setbacks to their travel plans.
To ensure family support, the policy also prioritizes one family member already in the Hajj queue to accompany these elderly pilgrims, provided the family member had also paid their fees and was projected to perform Hajj next year.
It has been stipulated that all individuals granted the opportunity under these rules must be first-time pilgrims performing their obligatory Hajj.
The Maldives Hajj Corporation stated that this move will ensure the country's Hajj quota is utilised effectively, providing elderly citizens with the earliest possible opportunity to travel and reducing the number of seniors currently on the waiting list.
This year, 1,000 pilgrims from the Maldives performed the Hajj. According to statistics, more than 1.5 million people from countries other than Saudi Arabia participated in the pilgrimage this year.
