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Qatar's Hajj 1448 registration closes on Tuesday 20 October, with 4,400 places on offer
Qatar's Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs closes online Hajj registration for the 1448 AH season on 20 October. Officials expect more than 12,000 applicants for a quota of 4,400, and residents face tighter age and residence rules than citizens.
Anyone in Qatar hoping to perform Hajj in the 1448 AH season has until Tuesday 20 October to register. The Hajj and Umrah Affairs Department at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs opened its online portal, hajj.gov.qa, on 20 September and said it would close on 20 October.
Who can apply: Qatari citizens must be at least 18 and can add up to three companions on one application. Residents and citizens of other Gulf Cooperation Council states must be at least 45, must not have performed Hajj before, and must have lived in Qatar continuously for at least 15 years; they can add only one companion. Companions have to be listed on the main application from the start.
Health check: a medical fitness certificate is required. Tests are available at health centres across Qatar and the results are linked to the registration system electronically.
The money: QNA reported that completing the process through the portal, where applicants choose an approved Hajj campaign and sign the contract, takes a QAR 10,000 advance that is deducted from the final cost of the Hajj. It is not a registration fee, and the final price depends on the campaign.
The odds: Al-Sharq reported on 15 October that department director Ali bin Sultan Al-Musaifri expects registrations to pass 12,000 by the close. In earlier remarks to Qatar News Agency, he put Qatar's quota for the season at 4,400 pilgrims. Places are allocated by an electronic draw, which Al-Sharq says will be held at the end of October; QNA said successful applicants would be told by text message from the end of October.
Common mistake: according to Al-Sharq, Al-Musaifri said some applications had been cancelled because they were filed by women on their own, with no companion or mahram added. He said the department can join such an application to the husband's or mahram's before it is cancelled. The hotline is 132, from 7:30am to 1pm on working days.
Why it matters: with roughly one place for every three expected applicants, Al-Musaifri told Al-Sharq that some applications filed without a companion or mahram have already been cancelled.
Sources: Qatar News Agency (QNA, Arabic), 19 Sep 2026; Al-Sharq (Arabic), 15 Oct 2026.
Watch next: the draw date and the number of final registrations.