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Indonesian haj pilgrims enjoy fast-track policy
Some 64,000 Indonesian pilgrims entered Saudi Arabia through the program last year. This figure has increased by 1,000 this year to roughly 65,000 pilgrims, around 30 percent of Indonesia’s total number haj participants of 215,377.
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Pilgrims gather for prayers at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on Aug. 6, ahead of the start of the annual haj pilgrimage.
(AFP/Fethi Belaid)
I
ndonesian pilgrims, more especially those who departed from the Jakarta embarkation point, have lauded Saudi Arabia’s fast-track immigration process upon arrival in the country.
Iwan Martin, a resident of Bekasi, West Java, who left for Saudi Arabia in late July, said his haj entourage went straight to their accommodation after they arrived at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah.
“There was no need to undergo immigration checks in Jeddah as they were all taken care of in the home country,” Iwan said via text from Mecca, adding that the departure-process back in Jakarta was also short and smooth.
He only needed to scan his fingerprint before boarding the plane. “The process took around three minutes.”
Diyah Martina, another pilgrim from South Jakarta, was also impressed by the service and felt satisfied with the bypass policy. “The process was very fast. I think the [Saudi] government is beyond ready [in facilitating pilgrims],” the 35-year-old said on Wednesday.
The fast-track policy was introduced under the so-called Makkah Route Initiative last year, with Indonesia and Malaysia being its first two beneficiaries. The program has cut the usual lengthy immigration checks for pilgrims at Saudi airports. The process of biometric-recording and passport-checking that usually took four to five hours in Saudi Arabia is now conducted in the home countries.
Some 64,000 Indonesian pilgrims entered Saudi Arabia through the program last year. This figure has increased by 1,000 this year to roughly 65,000 pilgrims, around 30 percent of Indonesia’s total number haj participants of 215,377.
