Pension members aged 65 and over can now use savings to reserve Hajj spot

Maldives Retirement Pension Scheme (MRPS) members aged 65 and over can now draw on their pension savings to reserve a place for the mandatory Hajj, the Maldives Pension Administration Office announced on 5 November 2026.

The change follows the gazetting of the regulation required under the sixth amendment to the Maldives Pension Act, which the Office said is now in force. It appears in the Gazette as Regulation No. 92-R/2026, published on 5 November 2026.

Age barrier removed

Until the amendment, members aged 65 or above, along with those who reached 65 by the time their Hajj place was confirmed, could not use funds in their Retirement Savings Account (RSA) for a reservation. According to the Office, eligible members of any age can now do so. That includes those previously shut out because of their age and those who reach 65 while awaiting confirmation.

Eligibility conditions

• The member must not have already performed the mandatory Hajj.
• The RSA must hold at least MVR 336,000.
• Members who have pledged pension savings as collateral under the Housing Benefit must still have MVR 336,000 remaining once the collateralised sum is subtracted.

Paying for the reservation

• The member first pays 20 percent of the total Hajj price to the Maldives Hajj Corporation.
• A place is then reserved according to the established order.
• The other 80 percent is not taken from the RSA immediately; it stays invested until it is transferred to the Maldives Hajj Corporation.

The Office said the sum set aside for Hajj will be excluded when pension payouts are worked out for existing pensioners and for MRPS members who are newly retiring.

The Pension Office can be reached on its hotline, 1441.