Successful Hajj applicants can now transfer their seat to a close relative online

Islamabad: There is welcome news for families preparing for Hajj. Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs has added a substitute nomination feature to the Pak Hajj App and the Hajj Digital Portal, so a successful applicant who cannot travel because of an emergency can now hand their place to a close relative. The whole request is made online — no trip to an office, no paper file chasing from counter to counter.
How it works, and who qualifies
Under the new feature, the applicant nominates a close relative as their substitute on the app or the portal. There is one firm condition: the nominated person must already hold a registered profile on the Hajj Portal, or they cannot step in. The request must also carry a document explaining the reason — a medical report in the case of illness, a death certificate where the applicant has died. Any Hajj dues the original applicant has already paid will be adjusted against the substitute’s account, so the family’s money is not lost and the substitute does not start from scratch.
The same route applies if the applicant dies
The ministry has made clear that if a successful applicant passes away before the pilgrimage, a close relative can apply as the substitute through the same system. A ministry spokesperson said the feature is meant to support pilgrims and their families at critical moments through a user-friendly platform — a way of handling a painful situation without adding bureaucracy to it.
One more digital step as Hajj 2027 preparations gather pace
The move comes as preparations for Hajj 2027 pick up speed, with 20 November set as the deadline for private-scheme pilgrims to select and pay for their packages, and the whole system moving further online under the new four-year Hajj policy. The online substitute nomination fits that pattern: a family’s years of saving and waiting should not be wiped out by one sudden emergency, and the seat should stay within the family that earned it.