Saudi Arabia scraps restrictions on Hajj pilgrim numbers, age limit

Saudi Arabia announced on Monday, January 9, that limitations on the number of pilgrims attending this year’s Hajj will be lifted.

Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, Minister of Hajj and Umrah, announced the news at the second edition of Hajj Expo 2023, saying the number of people participating in this year’s Hajj will return to pre-pandemic levels and that there will be no age limit for Hajj pilgrims, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

Al-Rabiah said: “I bring you two good news in this meeting: the first: the return of the numbers of pilgrims to what they were before the pandemic without any age restrictions, and the second: allowing any Hajj mission from around the world to deal with any licensed company that meets the requirements that the pilgrims of those countries need to serve competitiveness and improve the quality of services provided to the pilgrims, in addition to reducing the cost of insurance for Umrah performers by 63 per cent; from SAR235 to SAR88, effective tomorrow [Jan 10], as well as reducing the cost of insurance for pilgrims by 73 per cent; from SAR109 to SAR29.”

During the opening of #Hajj_Expo 2023, H.E. Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq AlRabiah announces:

“Number of Hajj pilgrims in 1444H will return to how it was before the Coronavirus pandemic without age restrictions.”#Makkah_and_Madinah_Eagerly_Await_You pic.twitter.com/IZaPNqapIV

— Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (@MoHU_En) January 9, 2023

He added that any person coming to the kingdom with an Umrah visa can visit any city in Saudi Arabia, and any visitor to the kingdom will be allowed to perform Umrah at any time.

Eighty-one speakers from the public and private sectors from inside and outside the kingdom, as well as high-level delegations of ministers of religious affairs, heads of Hajj missions and higher authorities from more than 57 countries are attending the four-day expo in Jeddah. The event is part of the kingdom’s initiatives to enhance the religious and cultural experiences of pilgrims making the journey of Hajj and Umrah.