Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 23 Sep 2026, 10:20 AM (Saudi time)
Saudi Arabia has restructured its Hajj offerings for the 2027 season into three enhanced categories and discontinued the low-cost Package D, folding accommodation, transport and catering into a single mandatory package.
Saudi Arabia's Hajj 2027 roadmap sets service-package agreements from late July 2026, pilgrim data uploads from August, visa issuance from 28 January 2027 and flights from 8 April 2027, all coordinated through Nusuk Masar.
Saudi Arabia will require foreign Hajj affairs office staff to complete a mandatory training programme before receiving visas and permits for the 2027 season, part of a wider service overhaul with a detailed contracting and visa timeline.
Saudi health authorities have confirmed the meningococcal ACYW vaccine as a mandatory entry requirement for Hajj 2027, alongside COVID-19, polio and routine immunisation guidance.
Saudi Arabia is discontinuing Package D and making a bundled accommodation, transport and catering model mandatory for Hajj 2027, alongside compulsory staff training.
An Indonesian lawmaker has warned that 2027 Hajj costs may rise due to higher Saudi taxes and prices, as parliament reviews the 2026 pilgrimage.
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