Soekarno-Hatta Immigration Office Serves 30,000 Prospective Pilgrims via Makkah Route
Tangerang, Banten (ANTARA) - The Directorate General of Immigration, through the Class I Special Immigration Office at Soekarno-Hatta Airport (Soetta), has served approximately 30,000 prospective pilgrims for the 1447 Hijri year via the Makkah Route service.
The Head of the Soetta Immigration Office, Galih Priya Kartika Perdhana, explained that they have provided ten Makkah Route counters. At each counter, immigration officers from Saudi Arabia directly inspect the immigration documents of the pilgrims.
“For Soekarno-Hatta Airport, we are scheduled to process approximately 35,285 (prospective pilgrims), and currently, clearance has been completed for 30,000,” said Galih in Tangerang, Banten, on Sunday.
The Soetta Airport serves the departure of prospective pilgrims from three embarkation points: Pondok Gede, Bekasi, and Cipondoh.
According to Galih, the Makkah Route service aims to accelerate the mobility of prospective pilgrims upon arrival in the Holy Land. This is because passport and visa checks are conducted in Indonesia before their departure to Saudi Arabia.
“The hope is that first, the state is present; second, it provides efficiency in the process, and pilgrims will no longer be burdened with clearance procedures in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
He explained that 43 immigration officers from Saudi Arabia are assigned to the Makkah Route service at Soetta Airport. In addition, 40 officers from the Soetta Immigration Office are on standby to assist pilgrims before they enter the Makkah Route counter.
“Once (after) their documents have been cleared, according to the law, de jure (in practice), they have entered Saudi Arabian territory,” he said.
In addition to Soetta Airport, the Makkah Route service is also available at three other international airports: Juanda Surabaya Airport, Adi Soemarmo Solo Airport, and Sultan Hasanuddin Makassar Airport.
Specifically for Sultan Hasanuddin Makassar Airport, the Makkah Route service was only implemented in 2026.
“Hopefully, it can be added again later,” said Galih.