ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has introduced new digital services allowing Hajj pilgrims to change the duration of their packages and select accommodation from home, the religious affairs ministry said on Sunday, as Islamabad expands online management of the annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

The new features on the Pak Hajj App allow successful applicants to switch between long and short Hajj packages and choose two-bed, three-bed, family-room or shared accommodation. Pilgrims can also cancel applications and seek refunds in unavoidable circumstances, while medical certification and hardship requests can be processed digitally.

“No office visits, no queues and no waiting, Hajj facilities are available at a click,” the ministry said in a statement.

The changes are part of Pakistan’s broader push to digitize Hajj management under its first four-year policy covering 2027-2030, which provides for online payments, complaints and monitoring as well as government and private pilgrimage schemes.

Saudi Arabia has allocated Pakistan 179,210 places for Hajj 2027, with 107,526 reserved for the government scheme and 71,684 for private operators.

Under the new app features, pilgrims can print their medical fitness certificates, have them verified by an authorized doctor and upload them again through the Pak Hajj App or Hajj Portal, the ministry said.

Overseas Pakistanis can obtain fitness certificates from doctors near their places of residence and upload them through the app.

Successful pilgrims can also use the app to apply for a mahram, or male guardian, or a helper to accompany them under the hardship quota, according to the ministry.

The ministry said private Hajj bookings were continuing through the National Information Technology Board’s Digital Hajj Portal and warned pilgrims against making bookings or payments outside the official platform.

It said 26,000 applications had so far been completed under the private Hajj scheme, while 45,000 slots remained available.

Pakistan introduced its first four-year Hajj policy in July, replacing the previous system of issuing a new framework each year. The government says the policy is aimed at improving long-term planning and oversight while moving more pilgrimage-related services online.