Saudi Arabia Extends Deadline for Hajj Visa Application for Bangladeshis Until May 7
Flights carrying pilgrims from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia to perform the upcoming Islamic Hajj pilgrimage are due to commence on Thursday, the Bangladeshi Ministry of Religious Affairs has said.
The first flight will take off on May 9 from Dhaka.
Saudi Arabia has extended the deadline for applying for Hajj visas for Bangladeshi pilgrims until May 7, as reported by the Saudi news portal Sabq, citing Bangladeshi reports.
The deadline was previously set for April 29. Around 4,289 Bangladeshis have registered to attend this year’s Hajj under government arrangements, while 78,895 others have registered through the private sector.
Bangladesh’s Hajj quota this year stands at 127,000 pilgrims. Hajj rites in and around Mecca are expected to begin on June 14, depending on the sighting of the crescent.
Pilgrims from Bangladesh were among the citizens of seven countries that benefitted from a Saudi package of Hajj-related facilities last year.
The other countries were Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Morocco, Turkey, and Cote d’Ivoire. Officially known as the “Mecca Route Initiative,” the facilities include the issuance of electronic visas at home, finalising passport procedures, as well as tagging and sorting out luggage at the departure airports.
Upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, these pilgrims head directly to their residences in Mecca and Medina, while their luggage is delivered right to their residences.
In 2018, the Saudi Interior Ministry relaunched the “Mecca Route” Initiative, which had started on a trial basis in 2017.
Hajj is one of Islam’s five obligatory duties. Muslims who can physically and financially afford Hajj have to perform it at least once in a lifetime.
