Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 13 May 2026, 5:08 PM (Saudi time)
Saudi Arabia requires all Hajj 2026 pilgrims to carry a valid quadrivalent ACYW meningitis vaccination certificate administered at least 10 days before arrival, with additional polio vaccine requirements for pilgrims from high-risk countries.
Saudi Arabia restricted entry to Makkah from 13 April 2026 to Hajj permit holders only and suspended Umrah permits from 18 April to 31 May 2026 as the Kingdom prepares for the Hajj pilgrimage beginning around 25 May.
Saudia has launched Hajj 2026 operations with 160 aircraft and over one million seats spanning 145 global destinations, as part of Saudi Arabia's total air transport plan of 3.1 million seats across 12,000 flights.
Saudi Arabia has imposed fines of up to SAR 100,000 for facilitating unauthorised Hajj and up to SAR 20,000 for pilgrims performing Hajj without a permit, alongside 10-year re-entry bans for violators.
First Batch of 2026 Hajj pilgrims departs Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka
First group of Sri Lankan Hajj pilgrims departs for Saudi Arabia Newswire
TAMALE: First batch of Ghanaian pilgrims departs for Madina for 2026 Hajj Modern Ghana
452 Shalawat Buses to Serve Hajj Pilgrims in Mecca Tempo.co English
21 Pakistani clinics functional in Makkah, Madinah; 1,700 pilgrims treated as 422 medical experts join Hajj Mission | Associated Press Of Pakistan
Egypt to launch 1st NGO Hajj pilgrim departures for 2026 on 8 May - Tourism - Egypt Ahram Online