President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has amended the regulations under which Maldivians can attend the Hajj pilgrimage.

Maldivians who wish to go on the Hajj pilgrimage must register and make advance payments to the Maldives Hajj Corporation which has a long waitlist.

According to the President's Office, the decision to amend regulations followed discussions on a paper submitted by the Islamic Ministry.

With the new changes, priority will be given to:

1. Persons seeking to attend Hajj for the first time
2. Reserving a percentage of the allotted quota to individuals over the age of 65 and who are yet to perform Hajj
3. Permitting the inclusion of a caretaker to those individuals over the age of 75 and considering their health status. In this case, preference would be given to a family member of the individual (if selected in the Corporation’s list) who is also to perform Hajj for the first time. In the event this criterion is not met, then a caretaker who had previously performed Hajj would be permitted to accompany the individual. (Note: the individual’s health status would be determined by a physician appointed by the Maldives Hajj Corporation Limited)
4. An individual who had previously performed Hajj will only be permitted to perform the Hajj under the Corporation’s care, after a period of five years
5. Staff of the Maldives Hajj Corporation would be exempt from the above criteria

The President's Office said the amendments will be in effect from this year onward.

Hajj is a sacred pilgrimage that is required of every Muslim at least once in their lifetime and it is one of the five pillars of Islam.