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Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs has announced that the costs for Hajj pilgrimage, excluding basic service rates, will witness an increase of MAD 3,200($312) in the coming 2024 season.
The ministry announced the news in a statement on Thursday, following a meeting of the Royal Commission on Pilgrimage to review the preparatory campaign for the next season and a visit from Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfig Al-Rabiah, to Morocco.
The statement added that the Moroccan commission recommended announcing pilgrimage fees for the next season to the public “once the Saudi authorities determine basic service rates.”
The ministry said that the confirmed increases of MAD 3,200 mainly cover airfare, some services, and taxes, excluding any potential changes to basic service rates on the Saudi side.
The commission also suggested an eight working-day collection period starting a week after announcing the pilgrimage costs.
For the Hajj season of the following year, the commission recommended continuing the lottery system for selecting citizens interested in performing the pilgrimage.
“It further proposed setting the electronic registration period for Hajj 1446 from Monday, February 5, 2024 (24 Rajab 1445 H) to Friday, February 15, 2024 (4 Sha’ban 1445 H),” the ministry said, emphasizing that the commission also advised that those who performed Hajj in the last 10 years and individuals under 18 years old be considered ineligible.
Fees for the previous Hajj season for Moroccan pilgrims applying through Morocco’s Islamic affairs ministry was set at nearly MAD 63,000 ($6,155), not including pilgrims’ personal spending while performing the pilgrimage.
The quota for Moroccan pilgrims in the previous season was set at 34,000. Last year also marked Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Umrah and Hajj lifting all COVID-related restrictions.
