President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has amended the regulations under which Maldivians can attend the Hajj pilgrimage registered under and paid to the Maldives Hajj Corporation Limited. Presently, the registration queue for Maldives Hajj Corporation Limited is extensive.
This decision followed discussions on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs during Sunday’s Cabinet meeting and the amendments will be in effect from this year onward.
As such, the following changes will take effect, dependent on when the dues are paid. With the new changes, priority will be given to the following;
1. Persons seeking to attend Hajj for the first time
2. Reserving a percentage of the allotted quota to individuals over the age of 65 and who are yet to perform Hajj
3. Permitting the inclusion of a caretaker to those individuals over the age of 75 and considering their health status. In this case, preference would be given to a family member of the individual (if selected in the Corporation’s list) who is also to perform Hajj for the first time. In the event this criterion is not met, then a caretaker who had previously performed Hajj would be permitted to accompany the individual. (Note: the individual’s health status would be determined by a physician appointed by the Maldives Hajj Corporation Limited)
4. An individual who had previously performed Hajj will only be permitted to perform the Hajj under the Corporation’s care, after a period of five years
5. Staff of the Maldives Hajj Corporation would be exempt from the above criteria
The Government has been in discussions with the authorities to increase the quota allotted to the Maldives, to alleviate the wait times, improve the quality of service, and increase the general public's confidence in the quality of service provided by Maldives Hajj Corporation Limited.