Hajj Visa Application Deadline Extended Until 11 May

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Hajj Programme-2024 (1445 Hijri) at the Hajji Office in the capital’s Ashkona area today.

The maiden Hajj flight carrying pilgrims wishing to perform one of the principal Islamic rituals will leave Dhaka for Jeddah early tomorrow.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Hajj Office have taken all-out preparations in this regard.

Meanwhile, the deadline for Hajj visa application has been extended again.

According to the extended schedule, pilgrims will be able to apply for visa to the Saudi Embassy till 11 May, Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) President M Shahadat Hossain Taslim told the medi.

It is to be mentioned that over 60,000 or 75% of the Bangladeshi pilgrims are yet to submit their applications and some 404 Hajj agencies have not begun visa processing till 4 May.

Earlier, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh Essa Youssef Essa Al Duhailan indicated that the visa application deadline may be extended by following due process.

“We are ready to welcome (application) and issue visas to all the pilgrims all over the world and specially here from Bangladesh,” He also informed that 40 officials from Saudi Arabia have already reached Bangladesh and more will come shortly for issuing immigration passes under the Road to Makkah initiative.

In another development, Religious Affairs Minister Faridul Haque Khan, talking to reporters at his Secretariat office on Tuesday, said all Hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh will go to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj on time with visas this year, there are no issues with visas for pilgrims.

“No matter what anyone says, when our flights are starting, pilgrims are taking tickets, getting visas, there is no problem. We can continue this without hesitation. We have that opportunity,” he said.

Asked about uncertainty in getting visa, the minister said they are not experiencing any problems.

“We will complete all our work on time. There is no doubt about it,” he said.

This year the Hajj supporting team will consist of half members compared to the number of team members of the last year, the minister said, adding that this time Bangladeshi students in Saudi Arabia will be used for this purpose.

Besides, Saudi Arabia has come up with a new policy, introducing travel restrictions for Hajj pilgrims — confining their movements exclusively to Jeddah, Medina, and Mecca.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that individuals visiting Saudi Arabia on a Hajj visa are prohibited from traveling outside these three cities.

The visa is designed solely for pilgrimage purposes and does not permit holders to engage in work, seek residency, or travel beyond Jeddah, Medina, and Mecca, according a report published in a Middle East based newspaper.

This year some 85,257 people from Bangladesh will go to perform Hajj. Of them, 80,695 people will go under private management through 259 Hajj agencies.

Hajj is likely to be held on 16 June, subject to moon sighting.