A group of Tajik citizens, who traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj, encountered problems due to fake documents and turned to the Committee on Religion, Regulation of Traditions, Celebrations, and Ceremonies under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Tajikistan Embassy in Riyadh, requesting assistance to return home. The Committee on Religion stated in its statement that the citizens were victims of deception by certain individuals.
“These individuals, seeking financial gain, deceptively lured a group of citizens into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with promises to assist in organizing the mandatory Hajj. By preparing fake badges, they convinced the pilgrims that they would supposedly help them obtain the necessary documents. However, in reality, these documents have no legal force and cannot guarantee the legal stay of citizens during the Hajj season,” the Committee’s statement reads.
According to the agency, this group of citizens is currently in a difficult situation and has reached out to the Committee and the Tajikistan Embassy in Saudi Arabia for assistance in returning home.
The Committee emphasized that the deadline for processing documents for the mandatory Hajj this year has long passed, and after this deadline, no travel company can prepare the necessary documents. The agency urged citizens not to believe false promises and to contact the Committee’s hotline in case of such situations: +992 (37)2218358.
This body did not provide specific information about the individuals who brought this group from Tajikistan to Arabia, and thus, it is unknown whether they were arrested or punished for this.
This is not the first time Tajik citizens have fallen victim to promises from private companies or intermediaries when arranging a trip for the Hajj have become victims of promises from private companies or intermediaries. In previous years, there have also been cases where pilgrims with invalid documents reached the Saudi Arabian border but were detained by the country’s police and returned home.
Previously, the Committee on Religion also asked citizens to undertake the mandatory pilgrimage through official channels only. Authorities have repeatedly warned that using tourist, work visas, or other types of documents for the mandatory Hajj is prohibited by Saudi Arabian laws and may result in fines and deportation of pilgrims.
Every year, thousands of people from Tajikistan travel to pilgrimage in Mecca and Medina under the official quota of the Saudi Arabian authorities, and the entire process of their trip is under the control of the Committee on Religion of the Republic of Tajikistan. The cost of the trip for the mandatory Hajj under the quota for Tajik citizens in 2026 is 53,000 somoni, which is approximately 4,000 somoni less than last year.
