Saudi Arabia to limit Hajj to vaccinated citizens and residents

This year’s pilgrimage will be limited to 60,000 visitors with online registrations opening on 13 June

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced that attendance for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage will be restricted to residents and citizens.

The deputy minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr Abdel Fattah bin Suleiman Mashat, said that the decision was taken as a result of the ongoing pandemic and the emergence of new mutations. He called on authorities to ensure that Hajj does not become a source of global transmission of the virus and its variants.

Dr Mashat added: “Given the consequences of performing the Hajj rituals and spending long periods of time in a limited area, it makes the application of the highest levels of health precautions extremely important to protect the health of pilgrims and ensure their safety. Hence, it was decided to allow the performance of Hajj this year for those inside the kingdom of all nationalities.”

The number of pilgrims who can attend Hajj has been limited to 60,000. The ministry added that those wishing to perform Hajj must be free from chronic diseases, be aged between 18 and 65 and be fully vaccinated.

A portal has been set up to register participants for Hajj. The first phase of registrations will open on from today, 13 June, and remain open until 1pm, 23 June.