Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Abolishes 'Pay-and-Replace' Mechanism to Close Loopholes

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Kemenhaj) has officially abolished the ‘lunas tunda ganti’ (pay-and-replace) mechanism in the administration of special hajj pilgrimages. The move is part of a governance overhaul to ensure the departure process for pilgrims is fairer, more transparent, and entirely based on the official queue number. Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak announced the abolition while attending the National Working Meeting of the Association of Indonesian Special Hajj Organisers (ASPHIRASI) in Malang, East Java. Deputy Minister Dahnil stated the decision was made after the ministry conducted an evaluation and discovered abuse of the pay-and-replace mechanism by unscrupulous organisers. ‘When we cleaned up the governance of special hajj, we found manipulation related to the pay-and-replace system. Unscrupulous PIHK deliberately exploited the cancellation of some pilgrims’ departures to replace them with other pilgrims who were not in accordance with their queue numbers. That is where the practice of buying and selling at unreasonable prices was carried out by irresponsible individuals,’ Dahnil said on Saturday, 18 July 2026. He stressed that to close this loophole, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah decided to eliminate the pay-and-replace mechanism. ‘We then made the decision that pay-and-replace is no longer allowed. The pay-and-replace system has been the most profitable manoeuvring space for certain individuals. Therefore, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is ensuring that this mechanism is abolished,’ he asserted. According to Dahnil, from now on, the departure of special hajj pilgrims can only be carried out based on the established queue number. ‘Only pilgrims according to their queue numbers can depart. This is our effort to deliver justice for all pilgrims while eliminating rent-seeking practices and manipulation in the administration of special hajj,’ he said. Dahnil added that the governance reform of special hajj is part of the ongoing hajj administration reform being carried out by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to build a professional, accountable, and high-integrity system. The ministry will also continue to strengthen supervision to ensure the entire special hajj administration process runs according to regulations and guarantees the rights of every pilgrim fairly.