The registration for this year's Hajj in Bangladesh has ended, and despite eight extensions of the deadline, the quota has not been filled.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs said in a notice on Wednesday that the registration period for Hajj 2023 is over and that the registration server has been shut down.
This year, the quota was fixed at 127,198 to make the yearly pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Among them, 15,000 were supposed to travel as part of the government's Hajj program, while the rest of the pilgrims' travel was supposed to be organized by independently owned travel companies.
The registration period began on February 8 and ended on Tuesday, after eight extensions of the deadline.
The demand for registration decreased after the price of the Hajj package was increased by Tk150,000–Tk200,000, forcing the authorities to extend the registration deadline.
Just 119,695 pilgrims have signed up for the journey thus far.
Among them, 10,035 registered under the government's travel package, 109,660 registered through privately-run Hajj travel companies, and the rest, 7,503, remained unfilled.
According to a different notice issued by the ministry on Wednesday, the countrywide application period for biometric visas for Hajj pilgrims registered for 2023 will open on April 16.
Pilgrims who registered under the government package can apply for the biometric visa at the Islamic Foundation offices in every district, including the Islamic Foundation office in Dhaka's Agargaon, the Islamic Foundation Baitul Mukarram Mosque Complex, the Waqf Administrator's office and at the Ashkona Hajj office.
At those locations, they can submit their passports, apply for biometric visas, and receive receipts.
Pilgrims who are travelling through privately owned Hajj agencies may apply for biometric visas at the office of the Hajj Agency Association of Bangladesh as well as through private companies.
After applying for the biometric visa, they were instructed to give their passports to their respective agencies, according to the notice.
The application for a visa must be submitted by April 30.
Hajj will take place sometime around June 27, with the precise date based on the moon sighting.