South Sulawesi Ministry of Hajj Office Warns Public of No Furoda Hajj Visas This Year

The Saudi Arabian government is now tightening entry procedures and no longer issuing Furoda Hajj visas. Makassar (ANTARA) - The Head of the South Sulawesi Provincial Office of the Ministry of Hajj, Ikbal Ismail, has reminded the public not to be tempted by offers of Furoda Hajj visa routes or special Hajj programmes, as they no longer exist, due to the Saudi government not issuing such visas this year. “The Saudi Arabian government is now tightening entry points and no longer issuing Furoda Hajj visas,” said Ikbal at the Sudiang Hajj Hostel in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Tuesday. Therefore, the public is urged to be cautious and alert so as not to be influenced by offers of special Hajj routes such as the Furoda route. He also emphasised to Hajj and Umrah Travel Bureaus in South Sulawesi not to offer such special Hajj routes. His office has warned Travel agencies or Hajj and Umrah Travel Bureaus not to offer Furoda Hajj departures to prospective pilgrims. If any are found, his office will not hesitate to revoke licences and pursue criminal charges. According to him, the Furoda Hajj visa route is indeed highly sought after by the public because it does not require waiting for years to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in the Holy Land, although the price paid is very expensive. In addition, the reason the Furoda Hajj visa is popular among the public, he said, is due to the long queues for regular Hajj departures in South Sulawesi, which require waiting for years before being sent off. South Sulawesi has received a total Hajj quota of 9,670 people for the 2026 Hajj season, previously for the 2025 Hajj season, the quota was 7,272 people. This means the number of quotas for prospective Hajj pilgrims this year has increased from the previous year. “There are none, so this year Saudi is not issuing Furoda Hajj visas. So clearly, the legal visa is called the Hajj visa,” said Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak in Jakarta. Dahnil said that the proliferation of offers for Hajj departures without queues through social media is a practice that must be guarded against because it has the potential to be a scam or illegal Hajj modus operandi. Currently, the Ministry of Hajj, together with the National Police, will form a Task Force for the Prevention of Illegal Hajj, one of whose duties is to crack down on all forms of non-procedural Hajj departure operations.