Saudi Arabia removes restrictions on number of Hajj pilgrims, age limit

Minister of Hajj  Tawfig Al Rabiah

Saudi Minister of Hajj Tawfig Al Rabiah said the number of pilgrims participating in this year’s Hajj will return to pre-pandemic levels. 

Speaking at Expo Hajj 2023, the minister said there will be no age restrictions. 

Insurance for Hajj pilgrims will be slashed by 73% to SAR 29 from SAR 109. Meanwhile, insurance for Umrah performers will be reduced by 63% to SAR 88 from SAR 235.

The minister said that they will allow Hajj missions from around the world to agree with any authorized company to provide services in the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah decided in April 2022 to raise the number of pilgrims from inside and outside the Kingdom to one million, with the quota allocated to each country.

The ministry earlier limited the Hajj seasons for 2019 and 2020 to 10,000 and 60,000 pilgrims, respectively, due to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the number of pilgrims in 2019 – which preceded the pandemic – reached 2.5 million, according to data compiled by Argaam.