TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said inquiries about the absence of a visa for hajj furoda should be directed to the Saudi Arabian government. This is because they issued the hajj furoda visa.
"(Visa for hajj furoda) should be requested from the Saudi Government. They are the ones issuing the visa. Hajj visas are all issued by the government of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom," said Sugiono at the Pencak Silat Training Center, Jakarta, on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
Sugiono stated that the government is currently approaching Saudi Arabia. The Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Religious Affairs Ministry have already discussed with Saudi Arabia. However, he did not elaborate on what was discussed.
Saudi Arabia has not issued visas for haji furoda until the end of the service period. As a result, several pilgrims who registered for the hajj through this route may fail to depart.
The Director General of Hajj and Umrah Implementation (PHU) at the Religious Affairs Ministry, Hilman Latief, stated that out of the total regular hajj quota of 203,320 pilgrims, only 203,279 visas have been issued.
"When it closed, there were still 41 visas pending. This means that the process cannot continue," said Hilman as quoted through the Religious Affairs Ministry website on Thursday, May 28, 2025.
For your information, hajj furoda is a pilgrimage program directly regulated by the authorities of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom. In the hajj furoda program, departing pilgrims will receive a special invitation or muamalah visa, which differs from the hajj pilgrim visa associated with the national or regular quota.
Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar stated that the government is working to ensure that hajj furoda visas are issued to Indonesian pilgrims this year. He mentioned that intensive communication has been established with the Saudi government.
"We have been in constant communication. Day and night we communicate," Nasaruddin said when met at the Religious Affairs Ministry office, Jakarta, on Thursday, May 29, 2025.
According to him, many visas for prospective haji furoda pilgrims have not been issued. However, the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque emphasized that the decision to issue furoda visas is not within the authority of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, but is entirely the authority of the Saudi government.
"We are waiting for Saudi Arabia. That is beyond our authority, but insya Allah, we will assist," he said.
Andi Adam Faturahman, Dede Leni Mardianti, and Antara contributed to the writing of this article
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