National Hajj Queue Reaches 5.8 Million, Government Tightens Verification
Jakarta, VIVA – The Minister of Hajj and Umrah (Menhaj), Mochamad Irfan Yusuf, has affirmed that the government continues to improve the hajj queue system to ensure transparency and fairness in services for prospective pilgrims, including in the provinces of West Papua and Southwest Papua.
According to the Minister, one of the steps taken by the government is to carry out comprehensive verification of the waiting list data to ensure that all names listed are genuinely legitimate prospective pilgrims.
Minister Irfan said that nationally, the hajj waiting list has now reached around 5.8 million people and continues to grow every year.
“Nationally, the queue has reached approximately 5.8 million people and it keeps increasing every year, because new registrations always exceed 200,000 people,” said Minister Irfan during an evaluation meeting on the departure and return of hajj pilgrims for 1447 Hijriah/2026 AD, held in Sorong City, Southwest Papua, on Friday, 17 July 2026.
The Minister explained that the verification process is carried out to confirm the status of each prospective pilgrim, including tracing whether the person concerned has passed away, moved domicile, or transferred their rights to heirs in accordance with the regulations.
In addition, the government is rectifying practices of hajj quota abuse that occurred in previous periods, both in the regular and special hajj schemes.
“This year we are making sure there are no more practices of queue swapping or misused settlements. If a prospective special hajj pilgrim cancels the payment of their travel costs, the quota is immediately given to the next prospective pilgrim in accordance with the queue order,” said Minister Irfan.
He stressed that the government is committed to preventing the practice of individuals performing the hajj pilgrimage repeatedly within short intervals.
He noted that Law Number 14 of 2024 stipulates that pilgrims who have performed the hajj may only register again after 18 years, and must still follow the waiting list mechanism according to the applicable queue.
“With this regulation, the opportunity for someone to perform the hajj two, three, or more times in a short period is practically gone,” said the Minister.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for West Papua, Aziz Hegemur, reported that the waiting list for prospective pilgrims in West Papua and Southwest Papua provinces currently stands at 12,063 people.