Domestic pilgrims alarmed as deadline for Hajj installment ends this Sunday

RIYADH - The deadline for the payment of the second installment for this year's Hajj ends this Sunday, which corresponds to Rajab 7.

The deadline is for domestic pilgrims who would be preforming Islamic ritual from within the kingdom. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has underscored the need for timely payment of installments to ensure confirmation of reservation and issuance of the Hajj permit.

The ministry introduced two methods for the payment of Hajj package costs for the domestic pilgrims this year. The first method is to pay the fees in full once the reservation is made, and once the invoice is issued for the payment, the status of the reservation becomes confirmed.

The other route is through installments, three in total introduced this year to facilitate the pilgrims. The ministry however, clarified that the reservation is confirmed for all those who register successfully, emphasizing that all payments must be made on time.

Prospective pilgrims were able to make a partial payment of 20 percent of the total cost to reserve their spot. The option was to make the down payment within 72 hours of the registration date. According to the installment plan, The second installment, which is 40 percent, must be paid no later than Rajab 7, while the remaining 40 percent can be paid until April 30, Saudi Gazette reported.

The ministry opened registration for domestic Hajj pilgrims on Jan. 5. The ministry announced a total of four packages for domestic pilgrims this year. The price of basic Hajj package is SR3,984.

The first package costs from 10,596 to 11,841; the second from 8,092 to 8,458; the third costs 13,150 and the fourth package, which provides economical services to the pilgrims, costs SR3,984.

Saudi Arabia has recently announced that it would welcome around 2 million pilgrims for this year, almost double of what it welcomed last year for Hajj when the Covid restrictions were in place.