Missed the Hajj 2027 Draw? What Indian Pilgrims Can Still Do

The Haj Committee window for 2027 is closed

The Haj Committee of India (HCoI) opened online applications for Haj 2027 on 22 June 2026. Its guidelines set the closing date as 20 July 2026, later extended to 24 July 2026. The computerised draw of lots, called the qurrah, was held in Mumbai on 30 July 2026, and selected pilgrims were asked to pay an advance of Rs 1,52,300 — the Rs 1,50,000 advance, Rs 2,000 in dues and a Rs 300 non-refundable processing fee — by 10 August, later extended to 17 August 2026.

There is no late application for 2027. Anyone who offers to "add your name" to the Committee list for a fee is not acting for HCoI, which has warned pilgrims not to pay any person or agency claiming to be affiliated with it.

Hajj 1448 itself is expected in mid-May 2027, with the exact dates fixed by the sighting of the Dhul Hijjah moon.

If you are on the waiting list

When selected pilgrims cancel or fail to pay, their seats go to the waiting list. HCoI has confirmed waiting-list pilgrims in rounds: 6,864 in the first list, with payment due by 30 August 2026, and 1,143 in the second, due by 14 September 2026.

Under the Haj 2027 guidelines, waiting-list pilgrims are confirmed in the same order as the draw: the 65-and-above category first, then ladies without mehram, then the backlog general category, then the general category.

If you are still waiting, keep your passport, documents and the advance ready, and check HCoI's circulars and the Haj Suvidha app regularly. Deadlines after confirmation are short.

The private route: Haj Group Organisers

India's Hajj seats are split 70:30 between the Haj Committee and private operators. For 2027 this was reported as 1,22,518 seats for HCoI and 52,507 for private Haj Group Organisers. A private package is the only legal way to perform Hajj in 2027 if you did not apply to the Committee.

Private Hajj must be operated by a Haj Group Organiser registered with the Ministry of Minority Affairs. Many travel companies, including Marhaba Haji, book private Hajj through registered organisers. Whoever you book with, ask which registered organiser operates your Hajj and check before you pay.

Private packages vary a great deal. Shifting packages move pilgrims between a hotel near the Haram and accommodation in Aziziyah, closer to Mina, around the Hajj days; non-shifting packages keep you in one Makkah hotel for the whole stay. Mina camps are graded A to D, and the grade affects both comfort and price. Durations range from short packages of around two weeks to stays of five weeks or more.

Private Hajj costs more than the Committee route. The headline price rarely tells the whole story, because GST, TCS, the Mina camp upgrade and Qurbani may be listed separately. Compare all-in totals, not headlines.

What never to do

Do not attempt Hajj on a visit, tourist or Umrah visa. Hajj needs an official Hajj permit. In the 2026 season Saudi Arabia fined people performing or attempting Hajj without a permit up to SAR 20,000, fined those who arranged visas for, transported or sheltered them up to SAR 100,000 multiplied by the number of people involved, and deported expatriate violators with entry bans of up to 10 years. The 2027 penalties have not yet been announced.

Do not pay anyone who claims they can get you a Committee seat after the draw, and do not pay cash to an individual for a private package. Use registered organisers and traceable bank payments only.

Planning for Haj 2028

HCoI publishes new guidelines each year, so the 2028 dates and rules are not yet known. In 2027 the window opened in late June and closed in late July, which gives a sense of the usual timing, but wait for HCoI's own announcement.

You can prepare now. The 2027 rules required a machine-readable passport issued before the application closing date and valid until at least 31 December of the Hajj year, with two blank pages. Pilgrims aged 65 or above had to travel with a companion aged 18 to 65 (a lady of 65+ without a mehram needed a female companion aged 45 to 60). Certain serious health conditions — including kidney failure needing dialysis and pregnancy in the last three months — made applicants ineligible.

The 2027 guidelines also gave priority to the top 20% of each state's Haj 2026 waiting list. If the 2028 guidelines repeat that rule, applicants left on the 2027 waiting list may benefit — check the 2028 guidelines when they are published.

This guide is educational and based on official guidelines and reports as of 25 October 2026. Please re-verify current rules with HCoI before relying on it.