Pakistan: Hajj 2026 applications open under the government scheme

Dubai: Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs has begun receiving applications for Hajj 2026 under the government’s regular scheme starting August 4, according to an official announcement.

Registered pilgrims can submit their applications through designated branches of 14 scheduled banks or via the official online Hajj portal. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until August 9.

If slots remain after this deadline, new (non-registered) applicants will be able to apply from August 11 to 16. The ministry clarified that once the allocated quota is filled, no further applications will be accepted.

Hajj cost details

Under the newly approved Hajj Policy 2026, the total quota for Pakistan remains at 179,210 pilgrims. Of this, the government scheme has been allotted 119,210 seats (66.52%), while the private sector quota has been reduced to 60,000 (33.48%).

Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said the shift gives a greater share of the pilgrimage responsibility to the government due to issues faced by private tour operators in 2025, when a large part of the private quota went unutilised. The government aims to streamline the application process and avoid past delays that affected private operators, including technical and financial issues that led to unused quotas.

Package options

Pilgrims applying through the government scheme will have two options:

Long-duration Hajj (38—42 days): Initial deposit of PKR500,000

Short-duration Hajj (20—25 days): Initial deposit of PKR550,000

The second instalment of the total Hajj cost estimated between PKR1,150,000 and PKR1,250,000 will be collected starting November 1, 2025.

Age eligibility

According to the ministry, there is no upper age limit for Hajj 2026. However, children born after March 1, 2014, are not eligible to apply.