Hajj registration deadline extended as Bangladesh fails to meet quota

An increase in travel costs amid rising inflation frustrates potential pilgrims

The Bangladesh government has extended the Hajj registration deadline by nine days to Mar 16 after its failure to meet the quota.

This is the third extension to the deadline as an increase in travel costs amid rising inflation has frustrated potential pilgrims, forcing many to postpone their plans to perform the pilgrimage.

The registration process will automatically shut down once the quota is fulfilled, according to a notice issued by the religious affairs ministry on Wednesday.

It also said this is the final extension to the deadline.

The registration, launched on Feb 8, was supposed to end on Feb 28, but the government needed to extend the deadline two times to Mar 7 to meet the quotaThe Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia will begin by the end of June, with the exact date subject to the appearance of the moon.

This year, 127,198 pilgrims from Bangladesh will be allowed to make the journey. Of them, 15,000 will be able to do so through a package trip offered by the government, while the rest will travel through private agencies.

Privately run Hajj travel agencies have set the minimum price for this year’s pilgrimage package at Tk 672,618 per person, nearly Tk 150,000 up from the previous year.

​​The rate did not include the cost of qurbani, the animal sacrifice ritual. Each pilgrim will have to carry the money to pay for the qurbani themselves.

The minimum price for last year’s pilgrimage package under the privately-run Hajj travel agencies was set at Tk 522,744 per person.

The government’s package will cost Tk 683,018. It had announced two separate package plans last year. Package-1 was set at Tk 527,340, while package-2 at Tk 462,150.