The Hajj quota for Pakistan: how it works

The short answer. Saudi Arabia sets the number and Pakistan divides it. For Hajj 2027 the quota is 179,210 pilgrims, split sixty-forty: 107,526 seats to the government scheme and 71,684 to the private scheme. Pakistan Origin Card holders have a share of one per cent, 1,792 seats. Those figures come from the Ministry's own Hajj Policy for 2027 to 2030, and they are why the two schemes fill at different speeds.

The quota is the single fact that shapes Hajj from Pakistan, and most people only meet it when their application is refused or a package is suddenly unavailable. It is worth understanding before you plan.

Where the number comes from

Pakistan does not decide how many of its citizens perform Hajj. Saudi Arabia allocates a quota to each country, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs then divides Pakistan's share between the two schemes and administers it.

That is why nobody in Pakistan, including us, can obtain a place outside the system. Anybody offering a Hajj "outside the quota" or through a "special arrangement" is describing something that does not exist, and it is one of the clearest warning signs there is. The rest are in how to avoid Hajj scams in Pakistan.

The split for Hajj 2027

• 179,210 pilgrims in total.
• 107,526 to the government scheme, which is sixty per cent.
• 71,684 to the private scheme, which is forty per cent.

The government scheme is the cheaper route and takes the larger share. The private scheme is run through Hajj Group Organisers licensed by the Ministry, which is what we are, and its forty per cent is divided among all the licensed organisers in the country.

What that means in practice

The private scheme is a smaller pool. 71,684 seats across every licensed organiser in Pakistan is not a large number against the demand, which is why private packages close earlier than people expect.

There is no deadline to count down to. Applications for 2027 opened on 18 August 2026, moved by a day from the seventeenth, through the Pak Hajj app and the Ministry's website, with Habib Bank as the sole receiving bank in place of the sixteen banks used previously. The scheme fills and then closes. The only sensible plan is to be early rather than to be on time.

Being early is the whole strategy. Not because of a date, but because of a number.

Overseas Pakistanis

Under this policy, Pakistan Origin Card holders may use Pakistan's quota for the first time, and the share is one per cent of it, 1,792 seats.

That is roughly one seat in a hundred, which is worth knowing before anybody abroad plans around it. We have set out how the overseas route works in Hajj from abroad for overseas Pakistanis.

Why the quota changes between years

Saudi Arabia reviews allocations, and construction work around the holy sites has affected capacity in some years. A number that was right for one year is not automatically right for the next, which is one reason this page names the policy the figures come from rather than stating them as permanent facts.

For the current year's position, the Ministry of Religious Affairs is the source, and we will tell you where things stand on the day you ask.

What it does not decide

The quota governs how many people go, not what your Hajj is like. Once you have a seat, the journey is decided by the Mina camp, the hotel distance and who is responsible for you, which are matters of which package you bought. Those are set out in how to choose a legitimate Hajj operator.

Where to start

Decide the scheme first; the comparison is in government or private Hajj from Pakistan. If the private scheme is the right one for you, our departures are on the Hajj packages page and we will tell you honestly what is still open.