Check a Hajj or Umrah Agent Is Licensed in Pakistan Before You Pay
Check a Hajj or Umrah agent is licensed before you pay. MORA lists Umrah operators by name, but not private Hajj agents, so we checked what actually works.
Before you pay a Hajj or Umrah agent in Pakistan, check it is licensed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. For Umrah, search the ministry's own list of attested tour operators by name. For a private Hajj operator, call the regional Hajj Directorate, since no public search box exists for that list. Either way, never pay in cash.
A season does not pass without someone paying an agent in full, in cash, for a trip that never happens. The ministry licenses both kinds of operator under the Hajj and Umrah Act 2024, an Umrah Group Organiser or UGO, and a Hajj Group Organiser or HGO for the private Hajj scheme. The check takes minutes. Skipping it is what the fraud cases have in common.
We opened the ministry's attested Umrah operators page and its Hajj policy pages, and checked what a pilgrim can and cannot verify online as of 4 October 2026.
Umrah operators have a public list to check, Hajj operators do not
The ministry publishes a searchable list of attested Umrah tour operators on its own site. For a private Hajj operator, there is no equivalent search tool. You verify that one by phone, through the regional Hajj Directorate or the booking app itself.
Umrah bookings happen year round through hundreds of agents, so the ministry keeps a standing, named list. Hajj runs on an annual quota through a smaller, re-licensed group of HGOs, and the ministry points pilgrims to its own booking channel instead of a browsable list.
Check an Umrah operator on MORA's attested list first
The "Attested Umrah Tour Operators" page at mora.gov.pk shows each operator's name alongside a DTS licence number and an IATA number where it holds one. We counted 108 operators on this list two days before this guide, with the page showing the same table on 4 October 2026.
The operator should appear by name on that list, and the licence number it quotes should match the entry. An agent who cannot give a licence number at all, or whose number matches nothing, is not attested.
- Open the attested Umrah tour operators page on mora.gov.pk.
- Wait for the table to load, since it pulls from a live feed rather than a static page.
- Search for the operator's exact registered name, not a shortened trading name.
- Compare the DTS licence number on the list with the number the agent quotes you.
- If the name is missing or the numbers do not match, do not pay until the ministry has confirmed why.
A shop with Umrah posters in the window and a genuine attestation are two different things. The posters cost nothing to print. The DTS number on the ministry's list is harder to fake, because it has to match an entry that is not yours to edit.
Verifying a private Hajj operator takes a phone call, not a search box
For a Hajj Group Organiser, call the Hajj Directorate for your region, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan or Sukkur, and ask it to confirm the company against this year's licensed list. We found no public name search for HGOs on the ministry's site.
The Private Hajj Policy for 2027 to 2030 moved to a performance based system, with operators independently graded and licensed, reported at three years per licence. We read that much from the cabinet's own announcement, but the policy notification itself is a scanned document on the ministry's site that we could not extract readable text from, so we are not stating its grading formula or pilgrim minimums as confirmed fact here.
- Get the HGO's exact registered company name and quota year in writing, not just a sign outside an office.
- Call your regional Hajj Directorate and ask it to confirm the company holds a current HGO licence.
- Ask whether the quoted package appears under that company inside the official Pak Hajj app, since licensed private packages are listed there for booking.
- Treat a company that is not listed in the app, and that the Directorate cannot confirm, as unlicensed regardless of how its office looks.
- Keep the Directorate's answer, by name and date, in case you need it later.
A government scheme pilgrim does not need to verify a private agent at all, since that route runs directly through the ministry's own registration, which we cover in the Hajj Policy 2027 to 2030.
| Route | Public search for pilgrims | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Umrah, UGO | Yes, attested operators list by name on mora.gov.pk | Match the name and DTS number before you pay |
| Private Hajj, HGO | No public name search found | Call the regional Hajj Directorate, check the Pak Hajj app listing |
| Government Hajj scheme | Not applicable | Register directly with the ministry, no private agent needed |
Never pay a Hajj or Umrah agent in cash, the policy itself says so
Pakistan's Hajj policy requires dues for both schemes to move through formal banking channels, not cash or informal transfers. We read this directly in the Hajj Policy and Plan 2027 to 2030 while researching the official payment app. The rule carries no exception for an operator you already trust, so a request to skip it is a red flag on its own.
Warning signs an agent is not what it claims to be
Treat a demand for cash, a refusal to give a licence number, a price far below every other quote and pressure to decide the same day as warning signs together, not any one alone. A genuine operator has nothing to lose by letting you check first.
- No licence number on request. A licensed UGO or HGO can give you its number without hesitation, since it sits on its own paperwork.
- Insists on cash or a personal bank account. That breaks the payment rule for both schemes, licensed or not.
- A price well under the published range. Airfare, Saudi visa and accommodation charges do not vary enough to explain a large gap.
- Vague on the hotel, flight or group size. A real package names the carrier, the hotel area in Makkah and Madinah, and roughly how many travel together.
- No written contract, only a verbal promise or a WhatsApp forward. Ask for the registered name, licence number and full package details in writing before you transfer anything.
Where to report an unlicensed or fraudulent operator
Report a suspected unlicensed or fraudulent operator to the ministry on WhatsApp 0306-3332555 or by email to hajjinfo@mora.gov.pk, with your proof attached. If money has already gone to a party that is not licensed at all, that is a police fraud complaint, since the ministry's committee disciplines operators it has licensed, not people outside its own system.
If the operator turned out to be licensed and simply failed to deliver, the fuller process, including the compensation route, is set out in how to complain against a Hajj or Umrah operator, which covers the committee that can order your money back. Keep every receipt, message and contract regardless of which path you need.
Common questions
Is there one website to check both Hajj and Umrah operators in Pakistan?
No. The ministry's attested Umrah operators list on mora.gov.pk covers Umrah companies by name. We found no equivalent public search for private Hajj operators, so that check goes through the regional Hajj Directorate.
What number should a licensed Umrah operator give me?
A DTS licence number, which should match an entry on the ministry's attested Umrah tour operators list under the company's registered name.
Can I pay a Hajj or Umrah agent in instalments by cash?
No. The Hajj policy requires payments for both schemes through formal banking channels, not cash, and we found no carve out for instalments paid in cash.
What do I do if the operator is not on the Umrah list?
Do not pay yet. Email hajjinfo@mora.gov.pk to ask whether the company is licensed under a different registered name before you hand over any money.
Is a travel agency licence the same as a Hajj or Umrah licence?
No. A general travel agency licence does not make a company a licensed UGO or HGO. Check the specific Hajj or Umrah attestation separately, since the two are not the same registration.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 4 October 2026. The attested Umrah tour operators list, its fields and the count of 108 operators are read on mora.gov.pk, confirmed against the same page checked two days earlier for a related complaint guide. The ministry's WhatsApp complaint number and email address are read on mora.gov.pk and its notices. The cash payment rule for both Hajj schemes is read in the Hajj Policy and Plan 2027 to 2030, published on mora.gov.pk, during research for a separate check on the official payment app. We found no public name search tool for licensed private Hajj operators on the ministry's site, and we report, rather than state as confirmed fact, the three year licence term and performance grading under the Private Hajj Policy 2027 to 2030, because the ministry's own notification of that policy is a scanned document we could not extract readable text from. We did not test the Umrah list or the Hajj Directorate phone check with a real booking.
About the author
Senior Writer, Public Services and Technology
Shahid joined us in 2024 as an author. He is a senior contributor to Pakistan's leading technology websites. He writes detailed articles, mostly covering his expertise in the latest tech, mobiles, apps, gadgets, and step-by-step guides. His ideology is to help people understand the latest trends and explain complex methods through very easy-to-understand guides.
