Saudi Arabia lifts Hajj age restriction, restores eligibility for children 12 and above

KARACHI: Saudi Arabia has withdrawn the 15-year age restriction on Hajj pilgrims, restoring the previous policy allowing children aged 12 and above to perform the pilgrimage, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority.

The decision reverses an earlier directive that was scheduled to take effect on May 3, under which pilgrims below the age of 15 were barred from entering the Kingdom. Authorities confirmed that visas previously rejected under the policy will now be reprocessed.

The Directorate General of Hajj said the reversal was issued by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, restoring eligibility criteria for younger pilgrims.

Earlier, the restriction had led to the cancellation of visas for under-15 pilgrims, with instructions that no flights would carry such passengers for Hajj 2026, particularly for travel around May 27, corresponding to the Day of Arafat.

Hajj flight operations from Pakistan began on April 18, with the first batch departing from Karachi. Under the official scheme, around 119,000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to travel to Madinah and Makkah.

According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, 67,230 male and 51,846 female pilgrims will perform Hajj under the government programme this year.