Hyderabad: People planning to undertake the Haj pilgrimage this year through private tour operators in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have been advised to finalise their bookings by April 18, following a strict deadline set by Saudi Arabia authorities.
The Haj Umrah Group Organisers’ Association of Hyderabad, Telangana, issued an advisory after Saudi Arabia’s ministry of Haj and Umrah announced that April 14 would be the last date for issuing Haj visas. Traditionally, Haj visas were processed up to a week before the pilgrimage, but under the revised policy, issuance will now close one month in advance.
Association president Mohammed Abdul Razzak Qamar on Saturday said that private tour operators usually commence bookings only after the final list of State Haj Committee pilgrims is published. However, with the Saudi govt enforcing a strict visa deadline this year, pilgrims have limited time to secure their bookings.
“Any delay could result in missing the opportunity to perform Haj in 2025,” Qamar warned.
India was allocated a quota of 52,500 pilgrims under private tour operators for Haj 2025. Qamar urged prospective pilgrims to book their packages only through operators approved by the ministry of minority affairs, Haj division. He also emphasised the need to verify the 2025 Haj license copy of the operator at the time of booking, cautioning that unlicensed operators should be considered unauthenticated.
