No Hajj Visa: 23 Prospective Pilgrims Prevented from Travelling to Saudi Arabia

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Directorate General of Immigration through the Soekarno-Hatta Immigration Office has foiled the departure of 23 Indonesian citizens (WNI) prospective Hajj pilgrims who were indicated to be travelling for Hajj in a non-procedural or illegal manner.

The Head of the Soekarno-Hatta Immigration Office, Galih P. Kartika Perdhana, stated that the 23 individuals planned to perform the Hajj using visas that did not match the purpose.

“They were initially directed to provide statements as workers in Saudi Arabia before finally admitting their true purpose,” Galih said in a press release on Saturday (2/5/2026).

“All the WNI were part of one group heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saudi Airlines flight SV827. Of the total, there were 12 men and 11 women,” he added.

During the inspection of the group, immigration officers found discrepancies between the travel statements and the documents held by the 23 WNI.

Upon discovering this, the immigration officers immediately coordinated with the Hajj Task Force, involving the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Police.

In the end, the officers decided to delay the departure of the 23 WNI to Saudi Arabia.

The 23 WNI add to the list of prospective illegal Hajj pilgrims whose departures have been thwarted.

As of last Friday, a total of 42 WNI have been prevented from travelling to Saudi Arabia because they intended to perform the Hajj without following the existing procedures.