India Secures 1,75,025 Haj Quota for 2027 as Rijiju Signs Pact in Jeddah

 

Photo: The Kaaba during Hajj, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

India has locked in its Haj quota for 2027. India and Saudi Arabia signed the Bilateral Haj Agreement for Haj-2027 in Jeddah on Monday, November 9, confirming that 1,75,025 Indian pilgrims will be able to undertake the annual pilgrimage to Mecca next year. The agreement was signed after a bilateral meeting between Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Saudi Arabia's Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah.

A Quota That Stays Steady

The headline number will look familiar to regular pilgrims: 1,75,025 is exactly the same quota India received for 2026, and the same figure that applied in 2025. The Ministry of Minority Affairs had said in June that it would seek an increase, but the final agreement keeps the number unchanged. The bigger picture still shows remarkable growth — India's Haj quota stood at 1,36,020 in 2014 and has climbed steadily over the past decade to reach the current level. Saudi Arabia sets annual quotas for every country to manage space and facilities at the holy sites, where capacity is limited during one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings.

How the 1,75,025 Places Are Shared

Under the 2027 policy, the quota is split between two routes. About 70 per cent of the places — 1,22,518 — go through the Haj Committee of India, while the remaining 30 per cent — 52,507 places — are handled by registered private tour operators known as Haj Group Organisers. Applications through the Haj Committee opened on June 22 through its website and the Haj Suvidha app. By November 5, the committee had released its third waiting list and asked provisionally selected pilgrims to pay a second instalment of ₹1,25,000. The 2027 policy also retains the popular 20-day Short Haj Package and adds Kolkata as a new departure point for it.

Rijiju's Visit and the Road Ahead

Rijiju was on an official visit to Saudi Arabia from November 6 to 9. Besides signing the agreement, he attended the inaugural ceremony of the 6th Haj Conference and Exhibition in Jeddah on November 8 and reviewed preparations for next year's pilgrimage with his Saudi counterpart. The two ministers discussed transport, accommodation, medical support and on-the-ground welfare arrangements to make the journey safe and comfortable for Indian pilgrims. The Indian Consulate General in Jeddah confirmed the agreement on social media, calling it a step that strengthens India-Saudi Arabia cooperation for Haj 2027. With the numbers now locked in, Indian authorities will move to finalise operational logistics, accommodation and health preparedness in the months ahead.

Conclusion

For lakhs of Indian Muslims who dream of performing Haj, the Jeddah agreement brings welcome certainty. The quota may not have grown this year, but 1,75,025 confirmed places — with a clear split between the Haj Committee and private operators, a short-duration option and a new departure city — give pilgrims a firm plan to work with as preparations for 2027 begin.

Are you planning to apply for Haj 2027, or has someone in your family performed the pilgrimage before? Share your experience in the comments.