India keeps its Haj quota at 1,75,025 for 2027 after Rijiju signs pact in Jeddah

India and Saudi Arabia signed the bilateral Haj agreement for 2027 in Jeddah on Monday, November 9, and India’s quota stays at 1,75,025 pilgrims, according to the Consulate General of India in Jeddah. Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju signed for India, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, for the kingdom. The signing closed Rijiju’s four-day visit, which ran from November 6 to 9.

The figure is the same as the Ministry of Minority Affairs recorded for 2025 and the same as for 2026. It has risen from 1,36,020 in 2014 to 1,75,025 over the past decade, and the government has said it will keep asking for more.

What the two ministers agreed

Rijiju and Al-Rabiah met before the signing and went through preparations for Haj 2027. The consulate said they discussed stronger coordination and logistical support for Indian pilgrims and “reaffirmed their shared commitment to a safe, smooth and comfortable pilgrimage for Indian Haj pilgrims.” Rijiju was accompanied by Joint Secretary (Haj) Mohammad Afzal.

The agreement text has not been published. The quota is the only term the consulate and the ministry have put in public.

A four-day visit

Rijiju reached Jeddah on November 6 for the 6th Haj Conference and Exhibition 2027. In a post on X that evening he said he hoped the engagements would be productive, aimed at “ensuring a smooth, safe and comfortable Haj journey for all Indian pilgrims.”

On November 8 he attended the inauguration of the conference and took part in a ministerial conference chaired by Al-Rabiah. He also joined visiting ministers in talks with Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region. That evening he went to the Noor-e-Diwali celebration at India House in Jeddah, where he called the Indian community a “living bridge of friendship and goodwill,” according to the government release.

He also chaired a review meeting with officials of the Consulate General, the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Haj Committee of India on Haj 2027 preparations.

How the seats are shared

The quota was already divided before the signing. The Haj Policy 2027, released by Rijiju on June 22, kept the 70:30 split between the Haj Committee of India and private tour operators. On the old quota that means 1,22,518 seats for the Haj Committee and 52,507 for private operators.

The same policy added Kolkata as an embarkation point for the 20-day Short Haj Package, which continues. It improved the ratio of State Haj Inspectors from one for every 150 pilgrims to one for every 135, and gave preference to the top 20% of the final Haj 2026 waiting list. Medical screening now follows Saudi health guidelines, with stricter checks to stop people with serious chronic conditions from being cleared to travel. Hotel-style accommodation in Makkah and sofa-cum-beds in Mina carry over from 2026.

Applications opened on June 22 through the Haj Committee’s portal and the Haj Suvidha app, and the application form closed on July 20, 2026.

What pilgrims pay

Pilgrims bear the full cost, as the Haj subsidy was scrapped in 2018. Going through the Haj Committee costs about ₹4 lakh to ₹5 lakh, while private packages usually start around ₹6 lakh and can pass ₹10 lakh, on the policy’s own terms.

Under the Haj Committee’s guidelines, a selected pilgrim pays an advance of ₹1,52,300: ₹1,50,000 as the advance, ₹2,000 in miscellaneous dues and a ₹300 processing fee. A first balance instalment of ₹1,25,000 is due when the first waiting list is released, and the rest tentatively by December 31, 2026.

Haj 2027 so far

1. June 18, 2026Rijiju chairs the Haj review meeting
2. June 22, 2026Haj Policy 2027 released, applications open
3. July 20, 2026Application form closes
4. November 9, 2026Bilateral agreement signed in Jeddah
5. December 31, 2026Haj Committee balance payment due (tentative)
6. April 8, 2027First outbound flights (tentative)

What comes next

The guidelines put outbound Haj flights tentatively between April 8 and May 9, 2027, with return flights from May 21 to June 20. Pilgrims drawn by lot must send their documents to their State Haj Committee within a week of the draw. There is no refund for a cancellation after January 31, 2027.

Rijiju told his Saudi counterpart that India would cooperate fully for Haj 2027 and praised the conduct of Haj 2026. The guidelines left the date of the draw of lots to be announced by the Haj Committee.