Immigration Prevents 42 Prospective Non-Procedural Hajj Pilgrims from Travelling to Saudi Arabia
JAKARTA - The Directorate General of Immigration of the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Services has prevented the departure of 42 Indonesian citizens (WNI) who intended to perform Hajj in a non-procedural manner to Saudi Arabia.
The prevention of these 42 non-procedural Hajj pilgrims is an accumulation from the early period of Hajj implementation up to Friday (1/5/2026) at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten.
“This prevention is part of our commitment to protect Indonesian citizens from visa misuse and potential legal risks in the destination country,” said Director General of Immigration Hendarsam Marantoko on Saturday (2/5/2026), quoted from Antara.
“This is in line with the orders of President Prabowo and the directives of the Minister of Immigration and Correctional Services Agus Andrianto. Immigration will continue to be present through strengthened supervision and inter-agency synergy as a manifestation of Immigration for the people,” he stated.
He also urged the public to perform Hajj worship through official channels in accordance with applicable regulations, for the sake of safety, comfort, and protection while in the Holy Land.
“From the total, they consist of 12 men and 11 women,” said Galih. Wait, the numbers don’t add up, but proceeding.
Immigration officers at Soekarno-Hatta Airport found discrepancies between the travel details and the documents possessed.
After further examination, it was revealed that the group planned to perform Hajj using visas not intended for that purpose.
One person in the group was known to act as the coordinator, while the other 22 were prospective non-procedural Hajj pilgrims. Note: Earlier total is 42, possibly multiple incidents.
In response to the findings, Immigration officers immediately coordinated with the Hajj Task Force and ultimately decided to delay the departure of the entire group.
“This delay is carried out to prevent Indonesian citizens from becoming victims of non-procedural Hajj practices that risk entry refusal to legal issues in Saudi Arabia. We continue to strengthen supervision and cross-agency coordination within the Hajj Task Force,” said Galih.
As is known, the departure process for the first wave of Indonesian prospective Hajj pilgrims from the homeland to Madinah is from 22 April to 6 May 2026. After that, the second wave directly to Jeddah starts from 7 to 21 May 2026.