Indonesia’s Hajj and Umrah Ministry (Kemenhaj) has abolished the “paid-deferred replacement” mechanism for special Hajj departures. Now, vacancies created when fully paid pilgrims cancel or postpone will pass automatically to the next eligible person in the national queue. The new rule prevents private operators from proposing replacements outside the official portion-number order nationwide.

JAKARTA, thekabarnews.com—Indonesia’s Hajj and Umrah Ministry (Kemenhaj) has abolished the lunas tunda ganti, or paid-deferred-replacement, mechanism for special Hajj pilgrims. The move closes a system that authorities said allowed some private operators to bypass the official queue.

Deputy Hajj and Umrah Minister Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak announced the policy during the national working meeting of the Indonesian Special Hajj Organizers Association (ASPHIRASI). The event was held in Malang, East Java, on Wednesday, July 15.

The Kemenhaj said the change would make special Hajj departures fairer and more transparent. This is because every pilgrim now must follow their registered portion number.

Under the previous mechanism, a licensed Special Hajj Organizer (PIHK) could propose a replacement. This happened when a fully paid pilgrim canceled or postponed their departure.

The former procedure appeared in Religious Affairs Minister Decree No. 74 of 2025. It allowed a PIHK to nominate the next registered pilgrim within the same company, subject to specified conditions.

Following an internal evaluation, the new ministry alleged that some operators had used cancellations to substitute people. These substitutes did not hold the next eligible portion number.

“When we reviewed special Hajj governance, we found manipulation involving paid-deferred replacements. Some PIHK operators used cancellations to replace pilgrims with others whose portion numbers did not match the queue,” Dahnil said.

He said the practice created opportunities to sell access to earlier departures at unreasonable prices. The allegation concerned unnamed operators; the ministry’s announcement did not identify companies or disclose enforcement cases.

Starting with the 2026 system, a vacancy will move automatically to the next eligible pilgrim in the national database. The replacement may be registered with a different PIHK because the portion-number queue—not an operator’s nomination—will determine eligibility.

“This year, if a pilgrim who has fully paid cancels or postpones, the replacement will be the person holding the next number in the system,” ministry spokesperson Hasan Afandi explained, according to Detik.

Dahnil said the ministry had removed the mechanism because it had provided “a highly profitable room for maneuver” for certain operators.

“Only pilgrims whose portion numbers have reached their turn can depart. This is our effort to deliver fairness while eliminating rent-seeking and manipulation in special Hajj services,” Dahnil said.

Indonesia received a total Hajj allocation of 221,000 places for 1447 H / 2026. This allocation comprised 203,320 regular places and 17,680 special Hajj places. Special Hajj represents 8% of the national allocation, according to government policy documents.

The Kemenhaj said it would strengthen supervision of PIHK operators as part of broader Hajj governance reforms. Pilgrims should monitor their official portion numbers and avoid offers promising accelerated departure outside the government queue. ANTARA also reported the complete statement.