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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Indonesian Immigration Uncovers Two Main Modus Operandi for Illegal Hajj Travel

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Context piece
  • Indonesian immigration at Soekarno-Hatta Airport has identified two main methods used by illegal Hajj pilgrims to reach Saudi Arabia.
  • These methods involve using tourist visas for Southeast Asian countries as transit points or misusing work visas.
  • Immigration uses a passenger profiling system, in cooperation with other agencies, to detect these non-procedural travelers.

Indonesian immigration officials at Soekarno-Hatta Airport have uncovered two primary schemes employed by individuals attempting to perform the Hajj pilgrimage illegally during the 2026 Hajj season.

Jerry Prima, Head of Immigration Inspection at the Class I Immigration Office of Soekarno-Hatta, stated that these two methods are frequently used by unscrupulous travel agents to deceive authorities. The first modus operandi involves using tourist visas. Pilgrims pretend to be tourists heading to Southeast Asian nations like Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. After transiting in these locations, they then proceed with their journey to Jeddah or Medina in Saudi Arabia.

These two main methods are often used by unscrupulous 'travel' agents to deceive officials.

— Jerry PrimaJerry Prima, Head of Immigration Inspection at the Class I Immigration Office of Soekarno-Hatta, explained the common methods used by illegal Hajj pilgrims.

The second common method, according to Prima, is the misuse of work visas, often referred to as "Visa Amil Work." While these are official visas issued by Saudi Arabia for legal employment, individuals exploit them to perform the Hajj. Holders of these visas are typically required to obtain residency permits (iqamah) and are bound to a sponsor (kafil) for the duration of their contract.

Immigration officials are able to identify these non-procedural Hajj pilgrims through a robust synergy between various agencies, including the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, as well as the police. The implementation of the immigration's passenger profiling system allows for the data of travelers to be analyzed even before they reach the airport for check-in, significantly aiding in the detection of illegal attempts to reach the holy land.

Through this system, passenger data can be known and analyzed even before they arrive at the airport to check-in.

— Jerry PrimaJerry Prima described the effectiveness of the immigration's passenger profiling system.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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