Deputy Minister of Hajj: 'War Ticket' Scheme for Pilgrims with Financial Capability

Jakarta — Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah (Wamenhaj) Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak has revealed that his ministry is examining a new scheme for organising the Hajj pilgrimage known as the “war ticket”. This scheme is proposed as one solution to shorten the long queues for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims. Dahnil emphasised that the concept remains merely a discussion and has not yet become official government policy. “This is not a policy for this year. It is still in the formulation stage as part of efforts to transform Hajj management in line with the President’s directives,” Dahnil stated after his speech at the Closing of the National Work Meeting (Rakernas) for the Consolidation of Hajj Pilgrimage Organisation, held at the Class I Tangerang Hajj Dormitory on Friday (10/4/2026). In that context, the Ministry of Hajj is considering two future Hajj departure schemes. First, the regular scheme based on queues as currently operating. Second, an additional scheme called the “war ticket”. Under this scheme, pilgrims with financial capability can depart directly without queuing by paying the full cost without subsidies. The amount of the fee will still be determined by the government together with the DPR, not through a free market mechanism. “For example, if the fee is set at Rp200 million per pilgrim, those who can afford it can directly purchase that ‘ticket’. This is not liberalisation, because the price is still determined by the state,” said Dahnil. He explained that the background for this discourse relates to projections of increasing the global Hajj quota in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia targets increasing Hajj pilgrim capacity from around 2 million to more than 5 million people by 2030.