Hajj Ticket Bidding Proposal: Amphuri Reminds of Justice Principles

The Indonesian Hajj and Umrah Organisers Association (Amphuri) has criticised the discourse on implementing a “hajj ticket bidding” mechanism. The organisation assesses that the idea needs in-depth study to avoid conflicting with principles of justice, legal certainty, and the welfare of the ummah in organising the hajj pilgrimage.

Amphuri General Secretary Zaky Zakaria Anshary stated that his side in principle supports every government effort to improve hajj services. However, according to him, policy innovations must remain within the corridor of basic principles that guarantee justice for all prospective pilgrims.

“This idea can be viewed as a legitimate policy ijtihad. But it must meet principles of justice, transparency, and broad ummah welfare,” Zaky said in an official statement on Sunday, 12 April 2026.

The “hajj ticket bidding” scheme plan refers to a pilgrim selection mechanism based on speed or competition. In the government’s initial explanation, this scheme allows pilgrims who have met istitha’ah requirements—namely financial and health capability—to directly join the hajj programme without waiting in long queues.

The selection mechanisms that have emerged include first come first served or whoever is quickest gets it, up to competitive schemes approaching an auction system. Nevertheless, the details of the policy’s implementation have not yet been fully explained.

Amphuri assesses that implementing this scheme has the potential to cause justice issues. Currently, millions of prospective Indonesian hajj pilgrims are registered and waiting their turn to depart for decades through the queuing system. A sudden system change is seen as potentially ignoring the moral rights of those who registered first.

Additionally, the competitive scheme is feared to widen access disparities. Pilgrims from economically weak groups are likely to be sidelined because they cannot compete financially. Amphuri estimates that the cost of regular hajj without subsidies from managed fund benefits could be in the range of Rp90 million to Rp100 million or more.

Amphuri also highlights the policy’s implications for hajj managed funds currently overseen by the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH). With the queuing system so far based on initial deposits, a system change is assessed to directly impact the fund management structure.

If the queue is eliminated, said Zaky, the logic of initial deposits as the basis for fund management will also disappear. This raises questions about the fate of the managed funds reaching around Rp170 trillion, including the repayment mechanism to pilgrims. “This is not just a technical issue, but also concerns public trust,” he said.

Regarding the assumption that the long hajj queue is caused by BPKH’s existence, Zaky mentioned that queues occurred long before the agency operated in 2017. The initial deposit system was even introduced in the late 1990s along with the increasing number of registrants.

According to him, the root of the hajj queue problem is more structural, namely the imbalance between limited quotas and the continuously increasing number of registrants. Indonesia’s own hajj quota follows global policy with a 1:1,000 ratio of the Muslim population.

On the other hand, the growth of the Muslim population, increasing awareness of performing hajj, and rising purchasing power of society also lengthen the waiting list. “The main issue is the imbalance between supply and demand,” he stated.

As a solution, Amphuri proposes several policy alternatives. First, the government can utilise unused annual quota remnants—1,000-3,000 seats—as a pilot project for implementing the “hajj ticket bidding” scheme in a limited and controlled manner.

Second, the scheme can be applied to additional quotas if Indonesia obtains them, so as not to disrupt the existing pilgrim queue. This model, according to Amphuri, has been implemented in several countries, such as Turkey, which combines a queuing system with alternative lottery-based programmes.

Third, Amphuri proposes a dual system implementation. In this scheme, regular hajj continues using a queuing system based on social justice, while a non-queue programme is opened for pilgrims with greater financial capability without subsidies and without disturbing the rights of registered pilgrims.

Zaky said every policy innovation must be data-based and carried out cautiously, including considering the need for regulatory adjustments, especially the Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimage Organisation Law. “Ultimately, hajj organisation is not just about quota management, but also the ummah’s trust and the state’s responsibility,” he said.

Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak explained the ticket bidding or “war tiket hajj” scheme currently being studied by the government. He mentioned that this bidding scheme is projected to run alongside the existing hajj queuing mechanism.

“In the future, if Saudi opens its quota in large numbers, we will open two schemes. The first is the existing queue scheme. The second scheme is what Minister (Irfan Yusuf) termed ‘war tiket’,” said Dahnil when closing the national working meeting of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in Tangerang, Banten, quoted from Antara on Friday, 10 April 2026.

Dahnil said the bidding plan emerges as part of hajj transformation. The government wants to shorten the hajj waiting period, which currently averages 26.4 years. Later, he said, the government together with the People’s Representative Council will set the cost of hajj pilgrimage organisation for the quota to be offered to pilgrims choosing the bidding scheme.