What we are covering here:
- Saudi Hajj Ministry bans children 12 years old and younger from Hajj 2025, MoHU visa portal rejecting visa applications for them
- Affected children already paid, their Mutawiff Fee will be refunded by BPE
- NCMF-BPE warns sheikhs and pilgrims — April 8 is the “absolute and final deadline” for submission of physical passports under pain of forfeiture of slots of those who fail to comply
- Travel agencies accredited by the NCMF urged to submit flight bookings for their pilgrim passengers — deadline: April 9
- No extension for sheikhs/pilgrims who fail to comply with the April 8 deadline
- NCMF to give forfeited Hajj slots to the wait-listed
- Of the 5,000 Filipino pilgrims, 12 are children 12 years old and younger
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- EDD K. USMAN | X (Twitter): @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 |Facebook: SDN – SciTech & Digital News
(SDN) April 6, 2025 — Children 12 years old and below are no longer allowed to perform the annual Hajj Pilgrimage, at least this year.
The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) headed by Secretary Sabuddin N. Abdurahim discovered this as its Bureau of Pilgrimage and Endowment (BPE) started processing Hajj visas for the 5,000 intending Filipinos pilgrims for the five to six days Hajj 2025 in June.
Previously, children aged 12 and below were allowed with their parents. Not anymore.
Under the leadership of Director Rahmatol M. Mamukid, the BPE is managing or handling the pilgrimage operation for the religious journey to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is now on flight booking, visa processing, and vaccination, later on, for meningococcal and flu shots.
On Friday, April 4, the NCMF through its BPE and the Department of Health-Bureau of Quarantine (DOH-BOQ) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in response to the immunization needs of the Mecca pilgrims.
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MoHU) requires all Hajj pilgrims from across the world to be immunized against meningitis and flu, preferably before their flight to Saudi Arabia.
BPE Hajj Operation Chief and now-newly appointed Director IV Zainoden M. Usudan by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has issued a series of Hajj Advisories for Hajj 2025.
Hajj Advisory BPE No. 2025-020 concerns the new MoHU policy restricting the participation in the pilgrimage of children 12 and younger.
In the advisory, Usudan cited the new policy on children (not just Filipinos).
He relayed to the “public of a recent shift toward stricter guidelines from the (MoHU) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia concerning the participation of children in the upcoming Hajj Season of 1446 AH (2025).”
Submit your flight bookings for Hajj passengers, NCMF urges accredited travel agencies
Historically, he pointed out, the Kingdom was lenient with pilgrims below 12 years old, but the BPE discovered the policy change.
“As the BPE is now processing Hajj visas, the Hajj portal is systematically rejecting applications for those 12 years old and younger,” Usudan emphasizes.
He adds the restriction is now the “standing policy of the MoHU that is now being strictly implemented.
“All participating Sheikhs and intending pilgrims are urged to take note of this regulation and make the necessary adjustment to their travel plans.”
On the other hand, he assured that pilgrims who planned to include their children and have paid their Mutawiff Fee “will be eligible for a refund for their children.”
The online Saudi Visa website has already announced the restriction, describing it as part of “significant changes for the upcoming pilgrimage.”
It said the MoHU in introducing the “restrictions will prioritize pilgrim safety concerns stemming from historical incidents related to overcrowding and extreme weather conditions in Mecca.”
The Saudi announcement also emphasized that first-time pilgrims will have priority over those who already completed the pilgrimage to allow more Muslims to perform Hajj at least once in their lifetime. Minister Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah is the head of MoHU.
BPE’s No. 2025-021 advisory concerns the “final reminder” to sheikhs and pilgrims to physically submit their passport for Hajj visa processing.
“The absolute deadline for the submission of physical passports at the BPE is on Tuesday, April 8, 2025,” Usudan’s advisory says.
“We regret to inform you that any paid pilgrim who fails to comply with this deadline of April 8, 2025, will unfortunately result in the forfeiture of your allocated Hajj slot.”
He added that forfeited slots will be given instead to pilgrims in the NCMF wait-list.
The NCMF-BPE’s Advisory No. 2025-o22 strongly urged accredited agencies to submit their flight bookings on or before April 9 (the deadline) for their pilgrim passengers to facilitate Hajj visa processing.
April 18 is the deadline for the issuance of Hajj visa, according to the BPE. (®)
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The author
EDD, a native of Sub-Saharan Africa Buluan/Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, BARMM, college at UST, is a Manila-based journalist for over 40 years (33 years with Manila Bulletin), has five Media Awards (1 with University of the Philippines (UP) 2017 Science Journalism Award), covered and traveled over 40 times abroad), has contributed to Rappler, Business Mirror, former Manila-based Foreign Correspondent of Saudi Arabia newspapers Saudi Gazette and Riyadh Daily, and The Peninsula (Qatar newspaper), with 2008 East-West Center (EWC) Journalism Seminar in the United States, 2000 Executive IT Seminar in Seoul, South Korea, with three Silver Awards in Photography, writes Muslim and Current Affairs, Enterprise, Science, Tech, Products Launch, and virtually everything under Heaven. (@)