2026 Hajj: Saudi Arabia Reverses Minimum Age Restriction for Hajj Pilgrims
By Abdulrazaq Auwal
Saudi Arabia has reversed its earlier decision to set the minimum age for Hajj pilgrims at 15 years, restoring the previous policy that allows children aged 12 and above to participate in the pilgrimage.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs confirmed the development on Saturday, hours after authorities announced that pilgrims below the age of 15 would no longer qualify to perform Hajj from May 3, 2026.
Earlier, the ministry informed the public that Saudi authorities introduced the restriction under updated Hajj regulations, barring children under 15 from boarding Hajj flights and cancelling visas issued to affected pilgrims.
The ministry had also assured affected applicants that Saudi authorities would provide full refunds for deposited payments linked to the cancelled arrangements.
However, in a subsequent communication issued later the same day, the ministry confirmed that Saudi Arabia had withdrawn the directive.
“The government has restored the previous policy allowing children above 12 years to perform Hajj, while authorities have withdrawn the earlier directive imposing the 15-year age restriction,” the ministry stated.
The ministry added that authorities would reprocess visas earlier rejected under the temporary restriction to enable eligible pilgrims complete their travel arrangements.
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) also issued a fresh statement confirming the reversal, noting that children aged 12 and above are once again eligible to perform Hajj.
The authority further stated that all affected visas would undergo reprocessing following the policy reversal.
