Qatar set to open Haj registration

Manama: Authorities in Qatar will start receiving applications from citizens and foreign residents planning to perform Haj on Monday.

The application process can be initiated online until the early days of Ramadan, expected to start on July 9, Qatari daily Al Arab reported on Thursday.

Qatar has introduced the online application system to ease the annual rush related to selection of people who are allowed to perform the annual pilgrimage, expected this year to start on October 13 based on the lunar calendar.

Under a quota system endorsed by the Islamic countries, the number of Muslim men and women who can go to Makkah for Haj is limited. The registration process has become compulsory and all pilgrims, regardless of their nationalities, must be officially registered with the endowments and Islamic affairs ministry.

All would-be pilgrims, regardless of their nationality, are required to perform the Haj with formally endorsed operators. The ministry said that 22 Haj operators have been officially approved. However, it added that more operators could be added to the official list.

“We will look into their application and assess their qualifications before we endorse them,” a ministry source told the daily.

Qatar allows operators transporting pilgrims by land to register 300 pilgrims and those offering air travel to take 500 pilgrims. In post-Haj assessment sessions, pilgrims have often sought to highlight limited services provided by operators or the lack of assistance as major issues during their two-week pilgrimage.

According to the Al Arab report, the full details about the registration process will be published within days.