Dubai: More than 390,000 people from inside Saudi Arabia have applied for the upcoming Hajj season through the Eatamarna app, and the e-track for domestic pilgrims, local media reported.
According to informed sources, the number of slots allocated for domestic pilgrims will not exceed 150,000, while the number of pilgrims from outside the Kingdom will reach 850,000.
Only a limited number of domestic pilgrims was allowed to perform Hajj during the last two years.
During an interview with Al Ekhbarya, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Hisham Saed said that the request of registering for Hajj via the e-track and Eatamarna app was closed on June 11, after 9 days.
After June 11, the sorting and the e-draw process will begin to select potential pilgrims who meet the requirements set by the ministry, Saed added.
He noted the nominated pilgrims will receive an SMS.
They will be given 48 hours to complete the payment of the fees for the selected packages, after which the Hajj permits will be issued to them.
The ministry announced earlier that it would use the e-draw in the mechanism of nominating applicants from domestic pilgrims for Hajj 2022, in order to provide equal opportunities for applicants for Hajj from within the Kingdom.
For the upcoming Hajj season, foreign pilgrims were given a major chunk - 85 per cent of the total number of one million pilgrims who will be allowed to perform Hajj this year.
Pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom are also required to submit a negative COVID-19 PCR test result performed within 72 hours of the time of departure to the Kingdom.
