Ministry of Immigration and Corrections
Directorate General of Immigration
JAKARTA – Immigration officers across Indonesia have postponed the departure of 1,243 Indonesian citizens (WNI) during the period of April 23 to June 1, 2025. This action was taken because these WNI were strongly indicated to be non-procedural prospective Hajj pilgrims (JCH).
Of the total number, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten recorded the highest number of delayed departures with 719 people. This was followed by Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, with 187 people; Ngurah Rai Airport, Denpasar, with 52 people; Sultan Hasanudin Airport, Makassar, with 46 people; Yogyakarta International Airport, 42 people; Kualanamu Airport, Medan, 18 people; Minangkabau Airport, West Sumatra, 12 people; and Sultan Haji Sulaiman International Airport with 4 people whose departures were delayed.
In addition, the postponement of non-procedural JCH departures was also carried out at several international ports in Batam, Riau Islands. At Citra Tri Tunas Port, 82 people had their departures delayed, followed by Batam Center Port with 54 people and Bengkong Port with 27 people.
"The main reason for the departure delay is that these WNI do not have a Hajj visa or other documents required for the Hajj pilgrimage," explained Suhendra, Director of Immigration Checkpoints. "This delay does not mean that these WNI cannot travel to Saudi Arabia at all, because they already have a Saudi Arabian visa, which means they can enter that country. However, during this Hajj season, we need to suppress the potential misuse of visas for the purpose of performing the Hajj pilgrimage. After the Hajj season ends, these WNI can still depart for Saudi Arabia, according to the purpose of their visa," he added.
In Yogyakarta, officers found irregularities in the statements of six WNI with the initials HBS, DDA, K, MS, M, and ER who intended to depart for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using AirAsia AK349. During the initial examination, four people claimed they were going on vacation to Kuala Lumpur and planned to return on May 27, 2025, while the other two showed Saudi Arabian work visas. Officers then conducted further investigation and interviews, which led to the admission from the six people that Kuala Lumpur was only a transit destination before continuing their journey to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.
Meanwhile, in Surabaya, 171 JCH whose departures were delayed were found not to be using Hajj visas. They intended to go to Saudi Arabia using visit visas with the help of a travel agency. One pilgrim admitted that they even had to spend hundreds of millions of rupiah to depart. "It is very unfortunate that people's good intentions to worship are exploited by irresponsible individuals by making them depart through non-procedural channels," said Suhendra.
Similarly, at the Makassar embarkation, immigration officers delayed the departure of 46 WNI during the period of April 23 to May 23, 2025, because they gave inconsistent statements during the examination. Eleven of them claimed they planned to go to Medan to attend a family engagement event, but after an in-depth examination by officers, it was proven that they and their group would perform the Hajj pilgrimage non-procedurally.
"We are delaying these departures to prevent WNI from potential problems in the future, both domestically and abroad," Suhendra concluded. "Don't let the intention to worship become a problem because of improper methods. Patiently waiting through official channels will better guarantee the safety, comfort, and legal protection for the pilgrims," he added.
Last updated 03 June 2025
