Hajj Ministry Reveals Rp4 Trillion Down Payment for 2027 Pilgrimage Services

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has explained its request for a down payment of around Rp4 trillion to House of Representatives Commission VIII. The advance is intended to finance several services for the 2027 Hajj pilgrimage, ranging from tent locations to the basic needs of pilgrims. Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mochamad Irfan Yusuf stated the down payment is necessary because the Saudi Arabian government has set the period from 15 July to 13 August 2026 as the confirmation window for the use of tents occupied during the previous Hajj season. The ministry followed up by sending a request letter for the transfer of tent costs and the basic service package for the 2027 Hajj. “It contains an estimated fund requirement of 858,743,189 Saudi riyals, equivalent to Rp4,007,471,880,797,” Irfan said during a working meeting with Commission VIII on Tuesday (14 July). He explained the fund requirement consists of tent costs amounting to 173,207,789.64 Saudi riyals, or approximately Rp808.3 billion, and the basic service package plus visas totalling 685,535,400 Saudi riyals, or approximately Rp3.19 trillion. According to him, the down payment is required to retain the tent locations used by Indonesian pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season. “There is potential to obtain better tent locations if other countries do not retain or confirm those tent sites by the specified deadline,” he said. Irfan stated that to ensure the smooth implementation of the Hajj pilgrimage stages, the ministry is seeking Commission VIII’s approval to disburse the down payment. “We request the approval of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives so that the intended budget allocation can be facilitated by the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) through a down payment mechanism for the 1448 Hijriah Hajj pilgrimage cost (BPIH) fund request. In principle, this down payment will be accounted for as a deduction in the subsequent BPIH fund request, so it does not increase the overall funding requirement,” he said.