X-Raying Saudi Ministry of Hajj Guidelines on Pilgrims’ Accommodation and Service Contracts By

X-Raying Saudi Ministry of Hajj Guidelines on Pilgrims’ Accommodation and Service Contracts

By Ibrahim Muhammad

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has released new guidelines governing how countries engage service providers and secure accommodation and feeding for their pilgrims in Makkah and Madina for the 2026 Hajj exercise.

The document, distributed to all Hajj missions during the final phase of the 2025 airlift, now serves as the baseline for contracting service providers and managing pilgrims’ welfare in the holy cities.

A key highlight of the new policy is the restriction on the number of service providers each Hajj mission can engage. According to Page 2, Item 5 of the guideline, “The Hajj Affairs Office is authorized to conclude contracts with a maximum of two service providers; exceeding this limit is not allowed.”

This directive effectively limits every Hajj mission to two service providers—one for services in Masha’ir and Makkah, and another for complementary arrangements—thereby promoting uniformity and central coordination of pilgrims’ services.

Furthermore, Page 2, Item 7 states that “the service provider company engaged by a Hajj mission is the sole entity authorized to execute all contracts related to pilgrims’ accommodations and catering in Makkah and Madina through the Nusuk platform.”

In practical terms, this means Nigeria can only engage two service providers for the 2026 Hajj—one for state pilgrims and one for private tour operators—who will both manage accommodation and catering arrangements via the Nusuk platform.

Observers believe the new structure reflects the Ministry’s gradual move to centralize all Hajj services within Saudi Arabia. This approach has already reduced the functions of some national Hajj authorities, such as South Africa’s Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC), to supervisory roles for the 2026 Hajj.

A source within the Ministry said the decision followed coordination challenges experienced during the 2025 pilgrimage, citing Indonesia’s engagement of over eleven different companies as an example.

“It is the same reason the Ministry reduced the number of officially recognized Private Hajj Operators of all Hajj participating countries. For example, Pakistan alone has about 965 Tour Operators with Bangladesh having about 658 Hajj Operators. Transacting with such large numbers of Companies creates a serious challenge for the Ministry, He said.

The new policy, according to the Ministry, aims to simplify coordination, enhance service monitoring, and prevent a situation where pilgrims from the same country are scattered across different locations in Makkah.