The Ministry of Religious Affairs is expected to begin collecting expenses from registered pilgrims under the Government Hajj Scheme 2026 starting from the first week of August, sources said on Tuesday.
The recovery process will follow the same two-installment system as implemented in previous years. According to officials familiar with the matter, the first installment will range between Rs500,000 and Rs550,000.
Only registered pilgrims will be eligible to submit payments, and the recovery will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the required funds are collected as per Pakistan's allocated Hajj quota, the process will be halted.
So far, more than 450,000 people have registered for Hajj 2026, even though Pakistan’s current combined quota for government and private Hajj schemes is 179,210.
To accommodate the rising number of applicants, Pakistan is seeking to increase its Hajj quota to 230,000, in line with population growth and demand, sources added.
