When is Hajj 2025? Saudi Arabia announces pilgrimage dates and new rules
The annual pilgrimage to Mecca takes place in the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar
Saudi Arabia has announced the expected dates and new rules for Hajj 2025. The annual pilgrimage to Mecca is always during the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar and this year it is predicted to fall near the start of June.
With interest now building in securing a place for this year, Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre (GLMCC) in Birmingham - organiser of the city's huge public Eid celebrations - has just announced that it has an 18-day premium Hajj travel package available, including flights, accommodation, tour guides and 24/7 support. Many other packages from other providers in the UK and across the world are also available on the official site.
Most travel deals are for longer than the pilgrimage itself, to cover possible variations in the predicted dates and spread out the huge number of arrivals and departures. All Hajj trips have to be booked through Saudi Arabia's official website so it can monitor attendance and ensure health and safety procedures are in place to handle hundreds of thousands of visitors.
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The Hajj itself takes place over five to six days, from the 8th to the 12th or 13th of the month, Dhul Hijjah, with the calendar's second set of main Eid celebrations, Eid ul Adha, on the 10th of the month. Pilgrims can leave before sunset on the 12th or stay one more day.
This year, the Hajj is expected to be from Wednesday, June 4, to Monday, June 9. A moonsighting near the end of May will confirm the exact date, setting the start of Dhul Hijjah and allowing all the special events within that month, such as Hajj and Eid ul Adha, to be worked out.
In 2024, the Hajj was from June 14 to 19 and was attended by 1.8 million people. All Islamic dates move forward by 10 or 11 days a year because the religion's 354-day, lunar-based year does align with the solar-based, 365-day Gregorian calendar of the Western world.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has this year announced that children are banned from accompanying pilgrims. "This measure is taken to ensure the safety and well-being of children and to avoid exposing them to any harm during the pilgrimage," it stated.
In addition, the usual policy of prioritising registrations for those who have not performed the pilgrimage before will remain in place. This is to allow everyone a chance to go on the Hajj at least once in their lifetime, in accordance with Islamic rules.
Saudi Arabia officials have changed the country's visa policies to prevent unauthorised Hajj visitors. People from 14 countries are now only eligible for single-entry visas. This aims to prevent people from misusing multiple-entry visas to come into the country and go on the Hajj without registering for it. The ministry says unapproved pilgrims create overcrowding at the holy sites and can pose a health and safety risk.