Saudi Arabia Sets Health Guidelines for 2026 Haj Pilgrims

Bandar seri begawan: The Ministry of Religious Affairs, through its Haj Affairs Department, has announced that the Ministry of Haj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia has established new health conditions and guidelines for national haj pilgrims for the 2026 Haj season. These guidelines encompass vaccination requirements, health screenings, and preventive measures aimed at ensuring public health safety.

According to Radio Television Brunei, the Saudi Arabian government has mandated that haj pilgrims must be free from communicable diseases and possess adequate health to undertake the Haj without posing risks to themselves or others. Health conditions deemed ineligible for pilgrims include the failure of major organs such as kidneys, heart, chronic lung disease, liver cirrhosis, as well as neurological and mental diseases that impair cognitive abilities or are associated with physical disabilities.

Additionally, conditions impacting general health, such as high-risk pregnancies, being in the last trimester of pregnancy
, active infectious diseases, and active cancer patients undergoing immunosuppressive treatments, are also considered. Intending haj pilgrims must provide proof of having received a complete Covid-19 vaccination or demonstrate recovery from a Covid-19 infection by 2025. Moreover, all pilgrims or workers during the haj season are mandated to take the ‘Neisseria Meningitis’ vaccine, ACYW.

Saudi Arabian health authorities will enforce supplementary health screening measures at entry points for pilgrims from specific countries, based on the health risk levels associated with their country of origin.