ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 68,000 individuals from the Kurdistan Region have electronically applied to attend Hajj pilgrimage next year, an official confirmed to Rudaw on Thursday, explaining the deadline for applications is September 20.
"Until today, [around] 68,400 people have registered their names... for the next year's Hajj pilgrimage," Karwan Stuni, spokesperson for the Hajj and Umrah department, told Rudaw.
This is the first time that the Kurdistan Region has launched an electronic system for Hajj pilgrimage applications, according to Stuni.
Of the 68,400 applications, around 8,000 are subject to disqualification should the applicants fail to make corrections in information and details they have entered in the applications, the official warned.
“A total of 7,789 electronic applications remain uncompleted and must be completed and verified, otherwise their names will not be included in the lottery system and will not be considered registered,” he said.
He went on to explain that registration for Hajj "continues without anyone having to visit anywhere and… it could be done from home.”
The annual pilgrimage holds deep religious significance as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It is a mandatory act of worship for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake the journey.
Hajj, which occurs from the 8th to the 12th of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar, falling in early late May 2026, requires pilgrims to arrive in advance to prepare for the physically and spiritually demanding rituals in Mecca.
The Kurdish official said they have already begun auditing the names and the drawn names will be announced next month.
In the previous announcement on September 25, 2024, over 5,000, out of 120,000 who had applied for the Hajj pilgrimage from 2017 to 2023, were selected in a draw.
Saudi Arabia assigns quotas based on the Muslim population of each country, allowing 1,000 pilgrims per million Muslims. Iraq’s recent quota is estimated to be around 40,000, with the Kurdistan Region's four provinces of Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, and Halabja province having their own shares within the framework of the country.
