Regular Hajj Wait List In Mataram, NTB 36 Years

Head of the Hajj and Umrah Implementation Section of the Mataram City Office of Religion (Kemenag) H Kasmi. (ANTARA)

The Office of the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) of Mataram City, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province said that the regular Hajj waiting list this year will be 36 years, from 35 years in 2022. "The public who registered for this year's Hajj is predicted to leave for Holy Land in 36 years," said Head of the Hajj and Umrah Organizing Section of the Mataram City Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) H Kasmi as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, January 27. He said the waiting list for the departure of prospective pilgrims was due to an increase in the number of Hajj registrants every month since the return of pilgrims in 2022. "People who register for Hajj began to increase since the return of pilgrims in August 2022," he said. After undergoing various administrative processes and submitting required documents as well as initial deposits of Rp. 25 million, Hajj applicants immediately got a portion number or queue number.

Meanwhile, the remaining costs are paid when the congregation's portion number leaves for departure. The amount of additional costs is adjusted to the cost of organizing the Hajj (BPIH) set by the government every year. "Every year the amount of BPIH is determined differently, and the congregation is given a three-stage BPIH payment time. If the prospective pilgrim cannot pay until the last opportunity, the person concerned is considered to have postponed or resigned. However, the following year the congregation will still enter the priority quota to be dispatched to the Holy Land and must pay BPIH according to the year of departure," he said.