Ministry of Hajj Tightens Screening of Hajj Pilgrims to Prevent Deportation Cases

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Kemenhaj) will tighten screening of Indonesian prospective Hajj pilgrims’ profiles to prevent cases of pilgrims being repatriated due to inclusion on blacklists or being barred by the Saudi Arabian government. “We emphasise to the pilgrims that if anyone is on the prevention list or blacklist, they should immediately inform us. Thus, from the start, we can anticipate it,” said Secretary of the Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah Organisational Development at Kemenhaj, Rizka Anungnata, on Friday (8/5/2026). Rizka stated that during the 2026 Hajj departure operations, there were pilgrims barred by Saudi authorities because they had previously committed violations. Those pilgrims were temporarily prohibited from entering Saudi Arabian territory. The violations in question were overstaying or exceeding the permitted stay duration during previous visits to Saudi Arabia. According to Rizka, Kemenhaj is strengthening coordination with Saudi authorities to anticipate similar incidents. The Indonesian and Saudi governments will prepare a joint coordination mechanism regarding data on pilgrims on prevention lists. “In the future, we will request, as we have coordinated, to form a joint board regarding these pilgrims. Thus, in the future, it will be better anticipated regarding pilgrims on their prevention list,” she said.