Saudi Arabia has withdrawn its recent decision to bar younger children from performing Hajj, restoring the minimum age requirement to 12 years, officials said.

According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, Saudi authorities have reversed the policy that had raised the minimum age limit to 15, allowing children aged 12 and above to undertake the pilgrimage.

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has also directed that visas rejected under the revised age restriction be reprocessed.

Affected applicants have been instructed to resubmit their applications.

Earlier, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) had announced that, following the temporary policy change, Hajj visas for pilgrims under 15 years of age were cancelled, and they would not be allowed to travel on Hajj flights.

The move had raised concerns that around 450 Pakistani children would be affected, including 200 under the private Hajj scheme and 250 under the government scheme. Approximately 70 of them were from Karachi.

At the time, authorities had also stated that children under 15 would not be permitted to board Hajj flights, while visas issued to pilgrims under the age of three had also been cancelled.

Airports across Pakistan were instructed to prevent underage pilgrims from boarding flights, while Saudi authorities had assured full refunds to affected applicants.

The latest decision restores the long-standing policy, easing uncertainty for families and pilgrims awaiting travel arrangements.