Beware of Illegal Hajj: Characteristics That Prospective Pilgrims Must Know

The proliferation of illegal Hajj cases has once again drawn attention after several Indonesian citizens (WNI) were arrested in Saudi Arabia for allegedly being involved in such practices. In the past week, at least 10 WNI were reported to have been arrested for allegedly promoting and trading illegal Hajj. Previously, 3 WNI were also detained by Saudi security forces in Mecca in a similar case that stemmed from offers of Hajj proxy services through social media. General Secretary of the DPP Amphuri (Indonesian Muslim Hajj and Umrah Organisers Association), Zaky Zakariya Anshary, emphasised that the legality of Hajj is not determined by the presence or absence of queues, but by the type of visa used. “Not everything without a queue is non-procedural (illegal). There are also those that are procedural,” said Zaky in an interview with Kompas.com Newsroom Chat on Tuesday (5/5/2026). “What distinguishes it is not the queue or not, but the visa. As long as it uses a Hajj visa, it is procedural,” he stated. Conversely, illegal or non-procedural Hajj refers to departures that do not use a Hajj visa. Zaky mentioned that several visas that are often misused include work visas, business visas, visit visas, and tourist visas. “As long as it does not use a Hajj visa, it falls into the non-procedural or illegal category,” he stressed. First, the organisers claim their programme is official without being able to show a valid Hajj visa. Second, the offered price is unreasonable. Zaky stated that offers below Rp 200 million should be suspected because the cost of official Hajj programmes can reach hundreds of millions up to nearly Rp 1 billion, depending on the facilities. “If there is an offer for Hajj below Rp 200 million, this is already very cheap and must be detected,” he said. Third, there is no clarity on the type of visa used. The public is urged to ensure that the visa used is truly a Hajj visa. “Ask what visa is being used. If the Hajj visa is not clear, be wary,” he said.