Short answer: In Egypt, Hajj runs through three official channels: the Ministry of Interior's lottery, tourism Hajj organised by tourism companies under the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and associations' Hajj under the Ministry of Social Solidarity. All three use the Egyptian Unified Hajj Portal, and a citizen may apply through one channel only. Hajj places, permits and Hajj visas come only from this official system and the Saudi side.
This guide is for tourism companies and travel agencies in Egypt, and Egyptian agencies abroad. It explains what the official Egyptian websites say about each Hajj channel and how flights fit in. It is not legal or religious advice: always follow each ministry's official announcements.
Key takeaways
- Egypt has three official Hajj channels: the Ministry of Interior lottery, tourism Hajj through tourism companies, and associations' Hajj through the Ministry of Social Solidarity.
- All three register applicants on the Egyptian Unified Hajj Portal. The official notices say a citizen may apply through one channel only.
- For the 1448 AH / 2027 season, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ran the tourism Hajj lottery registration from 4 to 27 September 2026, with results on 30 September 2026.
- Tourism Hajj prices in the official rules do not include the flight ticket. The pilgrim's contract must name the airline and the travel dates.
- Agencies outside the official Hajj framework can still serve pilgrims with Umrah, family travel and group trips all year.
Who organises Hajj in Egypt?
Egypt organises Hajj through three official channels: the Ministry of Interior's lottery, tourism Hajj through tourism companies regulated by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and associations' Hajj through the Ministry of Social Solidarity. All three run on the Egyptian Unified Hajj Portal.
| Channel | Official body | Who it is for | Latest season published on the official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lottery Hajj (حج القرعة) | Ministry of Interior, General Administration for Administrative Affairs | Citizens who apply at a police station, online or by phone | 1447 AH / 2026 |
| Tourism Hajj (الحج السياحي) | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Central Administration for Tourism Companies | Citizens who travel with a tourism company, chosen by an electronic lottery | 1448 AH / 2027 |
| Associations' Hajj (حج الجمعيات الأهلية) | Ministry of Social Solidarity, National Foundation for Facilitating Hajj | Members of registered civil associations and foundations | 1448 AH / 2027 |
The tourism rules also cover organisations' Hajj (حج الهيئات), for bodies with a Cabinet visa allocation that contract a tourism company, and individual Hajj (حج الفرادى), run only by companies already organising Hajj.
How does the Ministry of Interior's Hajj lottery work?
The Ministry of Interior's lottery Hajj is for citizens who apply directly, without a tourism company or an association. The latest notice on the ministry's site is for the 1447 AH / 2026 season: applications ran from 12 to 28 October 2025, at police stations, on the ministry's Hajj website or through a voice service, followed by a public lottery on the unified portal.
What that 1447 AH / 2026 notice says, in short:
- One channel only. The applicant chooses lottery, tourism or solidarity, and may apply once.
- First Hajj only. That season was limited to people who had never performed Hajj and were fit to perform it, aged at least 21 when applying alone.
- By governorate. The draw uses the share of the applicant's governorate, based on the national ID card address. One per cent of visas go to the oldest applicants.
- Health conditions. The notice lists illnesses that stop a person from travelling.
At the time of writing, we could not find the 1448 AH / 2027 lottery notice on the ministry's own website. Check its official announcements for the current season.
How does tourism Hajj work for licensed tourism companies?
Tourism Hajj is the channel where licensed tourism companies organise Hajj programmes. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities approves the rules each season, citizens register for an electronic lottery through the unified portal, and the winners travel with the company that registered them, on the programme level they chose.
The minister approved the rules for the 1448 AH / 2027 season on 2 September 2026. The official timetable in those rules is:
| Step | Dates for the 1448 AH / 2027 season |
|---|---|
| Companies submit their request to organise Hajj; citizens register for the tourism Hajj lottery | 4 to 27 September 2026 |
| Public electronic lottery for all levels, and results | 30 September 2026 |
| Companies register consortia (التضامنات) | 1 to 8 October 2026 |
| Companies start building full packages on the ministry's services website | From 1 October 2026 |
| Contracting the full package and inspecting pilgrims' housing | From 2 October 2026 |
| Last date for housing contracts, inspections and full-package contracts | 24 December 2026 |
The rules say these dates are final. Other points from the published rules:
- Levels. Tourism (towers or camps), economy by air, and land by road. A company runs one level only, fixed after the lottery.
- Who may organise. A company with no open legal issues with the Central Administration for Tourism Companies that has paid its camp booking on time. Its registration limit depends on its years of Hajj experience, and first-time companies are included.
- Group size. Alone or in a consortium, each level needs at least 45 pilgrims (land programmes excepted).
- Contracts and money. Each pilgrim gets a receipt and a signed unified contract. Companies must not take money from citizens not registered on the unified portal.
- Saudi side. Companies follow the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, contract only through Nusuk Masar, and must not use unofficial parties for Hajj visas.
The ministry's portal also lets citizens check a licensed company and look up a Hajj trip.
How does associations' Hajj work through the Ministry of Social Solidarity?
Associations' Hajj is for members of registered civil associations and foundations. The Ministry of Social Solidarity and its National Foundation for Facilitating Hajj run it. Members apply through their association, or online through the unified portal, and an electronic lottery chooses the pilgrims.
For the 1448 AH / 2027 season, the ministry's website says:
- Applications were open from 18 to 31 August 2026, for paying members of associations registered before 1 July 2026.
- Applicants had to be at least 21 and must not have performed Hajj before, and could register through one channel only.
- The electronic lottery in September 2026 chose 12,000 pilgrims, the associations' share for this season.
How are Hajj flights handled from Egypt?
Hajj flights from Egypt are part of each official channel's own arrangements. They are not seats any agency can sell as Hajj travel. The official rules link every pilgrim's flight to their programme: the airline, the departure and return ports and the dates go into the pilgrim's contract, and pilgrims keep to the dates on their ticket.
What the official pages say about travel:
- Tourism Hajj. Programme prices in the rules do not include the air ticket (or the ferry for land programmes). Companies must not send pilgrims to the airport more than six hours before the flight.
- Land Hajj. Land programmes cross by ferry through Nuweiba and Aqaba and follow the routes set by Saudi Arabia.
- Interior Ministry lottery. The 1447 AH / 2026 notice tells pilgrims to keep to the dates on their ticket, as the travel plan is prepared with the carrier.
- Associations' Hajj. The ministry's programme prices do not include the flight ticket.
The official pages we checked do not name airlines or flight dates for 1448 AH / 2027, so we do not either.
What can a travel agency sell around Hajj from Egypt?
An agency that is not organising Hajj cannot sell Hajj places, but the season creates demand around it. Families travel before and after Hajj, Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf fly home for Eid al-Adha, and people not chosen in a lottery often look at Umrah instead. These are ordinary trips that agencies sell all year, within their own country's rules for selling travel.
Business you can build around the season:
- Umrah. In Egypt, Umrah programmes are run by licensed tourism companies under the ministry's Umrah rules for each season. See selling Umrah flights as a small agency and Ramadan Umrah flights.
- Family and Eid travel. Egyptian families in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and Europe travel home or bring relatives to them. See selling diaspora flights from Europe.
- Group flights. Umrah groups, and licensed companies with Hajj groups, need seats held together and names collected early.
Check the fare rules before you sell and ticket before the deadline: a hold is not a ticket.
How to work with Hajj and Umrah groups with QuickOTA
QuickOTA is a B2B travel platform that accepts group requests, including for Hajj and Umrah groups. Your agency sends a group request to the QuickOTA team with the dates, route and number of passengers, and receives a quote. You pay in instalments from your prepaid wallet and manage the passenger list in the panel.
Hajj quotas, permits and Hajj visas come only from the Egyptian authorities and the official Saudi system. QuickOTA does not provide them and does not replace that framework: a Hajj group request is for companies allowed to organise Hajj. Read more about group requests.
For individual travellers, you search, hold and ticket flights in the QuickOTA B2B Panel. QuickOTA does not require IATA accreditation: QuickOTA issues the ticket for your booking. To join, you need a registered company or a valid travel agency (tourism) licence from your country. B2B Panel access is free, with no setup fee and no minimum deposit.
Not on QuickOTA yet? Get agency access first.
Common mistakes agencies make around Hajj from Egypt
- Promising a Hajj place. Places come from the official lotteries and lists, not from an agency.
- Mixing up the channels. Lottery, tourism and associations' Hajj have different bodies, dates and conditions, and a citizen may apply through one only.
- Taking money outside the portal. The tourism rules ban collecting money from citizens not registered on the unified portal.
- Advertising against the rules. In September 2026 the ministry warned about Hajj adverts that broke the rules.
- Selling Hajj flights as ordinary tickets. Hajj travel belongs to each channel's own arrangements.
FAQs
Who organises Hajj in Egypt?
The Ministry of Interior (lottery Hajj), the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (tourism Hajj) and the Ministry of Social Solidarity (associations' Hajj), all on the Egyptian Unified Hajj Portal.
When was registration for tourism Hajj 1448 AH / 2027?
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said registration for the tourism Hajj lottery would run from 4 to 27 September 2026, with results announced on 30 September 2026.
Can a citizen apply to more than one Hajj channel?
No. The official notices of the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Social Solidarity say a citizen may register with one channel only: lottery, tourism or associations.
Are flights included in Egypt's tourism Hajj prices?
No. The official tourism Hajj rules say the programme prices do not include the air ticket, or the ferry for land programmes. The airline and travel dates must be written in the pilgrim's contract.
Does QuickOTA provide Hajj quotas, permits or visas?
No. Hajj quotas, permits and Hajj visas come only from the Egyptian authorities and the official Saudi system. QuickOTA accepts group requests, including for Hajj and Umrah groups, and agencies book individual flights in the B2B Panel.
Related reading
- Hajj Flights for Travel Agencies in Africa
- Hajj 2027 From Algeria: What Travel Agencies Need to Know
- Hajj From Morocco and Tunisia: A Guide for Travel Agencies
- Selling Umrah Flights as a Small Travel Agency
- Ramadan Umrah Flights: How Agencies Plan Seats, Holds and Ticketing
- Selling Flights to and From Sudan
- Group Requests for Travel Agencies
