The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has announced a one-day extension in the deadline for receiving applications under the government’s Hajj-2026 scheme.
According to ministry spokesperson Muhammad Umar Butt, designated banks will continue accepting applications on Monday, August 18, under the “first-come, first-served” policy. However, the ministry’s online portal, which remained open until midnight on August 16, will not be made operational again.
The spokesperson said that more than 110,000 applications had been received over the past 12 days, while around 7,000 seats remain vacant under the official quota.
He clarified that once all seats are filled, the receipt of applications will be stopped immediately.
Applicants, as reported by The News, are required to deposit Rs500,000 for the long-duration package and Rs550,000 for the short-duration package.
The federal cabinet recently raised the government’s share of the Hajj quota from 50% to nearly 67% — a move officials said had helped restore public confidence in the official scheme.
The government’s quota also includes 2,000 seats reserved for hardship cases and 1,000 for the labour community.
