Riyadh assures Dhaka of 20,000 addl Hajj places for 2027

Saudi Arabia has given a positive indication of increasing Bangladesh's Hajj quota by an additional 20,000 pilgrims for 2027. Necessary steps to access the quota would be started soon.

At a press conference held on Sunday at the ministry to announce the recovery of medical expenses withheld by Saudi authorities during the 2026 Hajj season, Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad made the disclosure.

“I have personally written to the Saudi Hajj Minister and held discussions with him. He has assured me that he will try to increase the quota for Bangladesh,” Kaikobad said.

He added that the issue had also been discussed at an online meeting involving the Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister, his assistant minister and the Bangladesh ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Kaikobad welcomed and expressed his gratitude to the Saudi government and ambassador to Dhaka for their quick response in this regards. Religious Affairs Secretary Munshi Alauddin Al Azad said the minister would visit Saudi Arabia for the upcoming Hajj agreement and expressed hope that the quota issue would be resolved before the agreement was signed.

Bangladesh's allocated quota for the 2027 Hajj is currently 78,500, including 6,000 pilgrims under government management and 72,500 under private management. The country has sought an additional 20,000 places due to additional pressure of pre-registered pilgrims.

Kaikobad also said accommodation arrangements in Madinah had been secured at comparatively lower costs and with improved standards. For the first time, all pilgrims opting for the lowest-cost package would be accommodated near the Prophet's Mosque.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has recovered 3,091,243 Saudi riyals, equivalent to approximately Tk 10.23 crore, withheld by Saudi authorities as medical expenses for 340 Bangladeshi pilgrims during the 2026 Hajj season. The full amount was deposited into the Nusuk system of the Bangladesh Hajj Office in Jeddah on October 29, the minister said.