President Orders Further Reduction in Hajj Queue, Ministry Hopes for Large Saudi Quota Increase

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Kemenhaj) is continuing efforts to accelerate the hajj departure waiting period following a directive from Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who has asked for the queue to be cut shorter than the current average of 26 years.

Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak stated that the policy of equalising the waiting period to an average of 26 years is an administrative measure to reduce the disparity between regions, which previously reached 49 years in some areas.

“It is true, from the longest wait of 49 years, it is now equalised to 26 years for everyone. That is the administrative waiting time, but factually those departing in 2026 and 2027 will already be on a waiting period of 13-14 years,” Dahnil said when contacted on Thursday (25/6/2026).

According to him, President Prabowo is paying great attention to the issue of the lengthy hajj queue, which has long been a public complaint. Therefore, the government is continuously seeking various breakthroughs so that prospective pilgrims can depart sooner.

Dahnil acknowledged that efforts to further reduce the waiting period are not easy. One scenario the government is hoping for is a significant increase in Indonesia’s hajj quota from the Saudi Arabian government. “We hope that in the future there will be a scheme where a massive quota increase occurs,” he stressed.

Nevertheless, Dahnil emphasised that any quota increase must be accompanied by adequate service readiness. According to him, the biggest challenge is not only obtaining the additional quota but also ensuring that the quality of services for pilgrims is maintained. “The challenge is that we must be better prepared with services for a very large number of departing pilgrims,” he said.