Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 23 Sep 2026, 10:20 AM (Saudi time)
Saudi Arabia welcomed more than 931,500 Umrah visa holders in the opening weeks of the 1448 AH season, a 22.5 percent rise on the same period last year, with Pakistan, Indonesia and Iraq sending the most pilgrims.
Saudi Arabia is moving ahead with plans for a dedicated Makkah airport and metro network, alongside expanded facilities around the Grand Mosque and in the holy sites, to handle rising numbers of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.
Pakistan private Hajj operators say a Saudi deadline of 14 August 2026 to transfer funds for the 2027 season may be hard to meet, citing unfinished cluster arrangements, a 2,000-pilgrim cluster rule and capital requirements.
Bangladesh has released its Hajj 2027 roadmap, asking pilgrims to complete registration by 26 September 2026. The bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia is set for 8 November, with the Hajj expected around 15 May 2027.
Saudi Arabia's early reforms for the 2027 Hajj season make staff training compulsory for visas and permits, cut service packages to three tiers, discontinue Package D and bundle accommodation, transport and catering into mandatory unified packages.
Saudi Public Security says Hajj and Umrah service firms face fines of up to SR100,000 for failing to report pilgrims who overstay, part of a wider enforcement drive that has also suspended 21 Umrah operators.