Saudi Arabia sets minimum age for Haj pilgrims at 15 years

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has set the minimum age of pilgrims for Haj this year as 15, the religious affairs ministry said on Saturday. In a letter, the ministry referred to the Saudi government’s directives that “no flight departing from any country to Saudi Arabia shall be permitted to carry any pilgrim” under the age of 15 years (as of May 27, 2026 / Zilhaj 9, 1447 AH). The restrictions will be effective from 12am on May 3, 2026 (Monday). The ministry further said that in a situation where group members are unable to travel, they may choose to cancel their Haj journey. “The Government of Saudi Arabia has assured that all affected pilgrims will receive a full refund of the deposited amount,” the ministry assured the public. The ministry urged all Haj directorates, airlines and the Haj Organisers Association of Pakistan (HAOP) to implement age restrictions immediately as per the Saudi government’s instructions. The ministry also cited a letter written by the Office of Pilgrim Affairs Pakistan (OPAP) at the Jeddah consulate. That letter referred to a phone conversation held early on Saturday between the director general (Haj) of Pakistan’s Haj Mission and Abdullah Al Shehri of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Haj and Umrah, wherein the latter conveyed the new rules. Subsequently, in a statement reiterating the new directives, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said, “No pilgrim under the age of 15 years will be allowed to board Hajj flights, and such visas shall be treated as cancelled under this policy.” The inaugural Haj flight for 2026 under the Route to Makkah initiative departed on April 19. This year, the Road to Makkah project has been expanded to Lahore, in addition to Karachi and Islamabad, and is expected to benefit over 95,000 pilgrims, Radio Pakistan reported earlier.