ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s second payment window for the government Hajj scheme opened Monday, with pilgrims required to upload a certified medical fitness certificate before paying and an Oct. 20 deadline to retain their places.

The payment phase covers applicants for Hajj 2027 under the government-run scheme, which arranges pilgrimage services in Saudi Arabia. Those who miss the deadline will have their applications automatically canceled and their previous deposits refunded, the religious affairs ministry said.

The requirement is part of an increasingly digital application and payment process for Pakistan’s large pilgrim contingent. Applicants must submit their certified medical fitness documents through the Pak Hajj mobile application or government’s Digital Hajj Portal before becoming eligible to pay.

“Uploading a certified medical fitness certificate has been made mandatory before submitting the second installment,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony said in a statement released ahead of the window’s opening.

The ministry said the payment window would remain open until Oct. 20. It also said the option for successful applicants to change their Hajj packages would close ahead of the second payment phase.

Pakistan has moved much of its Hajj registration and payment process online as part of a broader effort to digitize pilgrimage management.

The government this year approved its first multi-year Hajj policy, covering 2027–2030, aimed at enabling earlier planning and longer-term arrangements for accommodation, transport and other services in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan receives one of the world’s largest Hajj quotas. It has been allocated 179,210 places for Hajj 2027, comprising 107,526 under the government scheme and 71,684 through private operators.

About 179,000 Pakistanis performed the pilgrimage in 2026.