Maldives and Saudi Arabia sign agreement for next year’s hajj

Maldives and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement on next year’s hajj pilgrimage.

The agreement was by Usam Mohamed Saeed, Deputy Minister of Islamic Affairs of Maldives, and Dr. Abdul Fattah Mashat, Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia, on the sidelines of the Hajj Conference 2026 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

According to the Islamic Ministry, the agreement covers the payment and services guidelines for hajj, as well as the establishment of a Maldivian Hajj Mission to oversee the affairs of Maldivian pilgrims.

The Hajj Agreement for the 1448 AH season was signed between the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Awqaf of the Maldives and the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia. The agreement was signed by Mr. Usam Mohamed Saeed, Deputy Minister of Islamic Affairs, and H.E. Dr. Abdul Fattah Mashat, Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia.

— Ministry of Islamic Affairs & Endowments (@MVIaffairs) November 14, 2026

Next year’s hajj is set to begin in mid-May.

Last week, the Maldives Hajj Corporation said that the hajj queue is now 17 years long, and that people who register to perform the holy program now have to wait until 2043.

Maldives usually receives a quota of 1,000 pilgrims for the hajj each year.