The Association of Muslim Hajj and Umrah Organizers of the Republic of Indonesia (AMPHURI) has asked Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) not to include regulations on independent Umrah in the Revision of Law (UU) Number 8 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of the Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimages.
Chairman of the AMPHURI Honorary Council, Zaenal Abidin, at the 2025 AMPHURI National Working Conference in Yogyakarta on Sunday, assessed that the inclusion of regulations on independent Umrah in the article actually opens up opportunities for the entry of non-procedural Umrah services.
"Because it's not prohibited, it doesn't need to be regulated; it doesn't need to appear in the law," he said.
However, Zaenal also did not demand a ban on independent Umrah because it could be considered to harm the desire of people who want to worship privately.
"If it's prohibited, it would harm people's desires. For example, if a cleric or a minister wants to perform Umrah, they can. So, since it's not prohibited, there's no need to regulate it," he said.
Referring to data from the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), AMPHURI recorded 1.6 million Indonesian Umrah pilgrims in the 2024–2025 period. However, data from the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs' Siskopatuh application only recorded 1.4 million.
This means there is a gap of approximately 200,000 people suspected of performing Umrah outside of official government procedures. This gap is the reason AMPHURI rejects the regulation of independent Umrah in the revised Hajj Law, as it fears it will open wider loopholes for non-procedural Umrah practices.
AMPHURI DPP Chairman Firman M Nur hopes that the revision of Law Number 8 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of the Hajj and Umrah Pilgrimage will be able to strengthen the national Hajj and Umrah service ecosystem.
Moreover, the regulatory changes were followed by the presence of the Hajj Organizing Agency which will replace the role of the Ministry of Religion as the main sector for Hajj organization.
For this reason, Firman hopes that the DPR, particularly the Legislative Body and Commission VIII, will pay attention to the sustainability of the private sector related to Hajj and Umrah services in the revision of the law.
"Independent Umrah doesn't actually have a significant impact on us, but we want to ensure that the provisions regarding the provision of Umrah services through the PPIU will provide protection to pilgrims and legal certainty," he said.
By not accommodating the legal umbrella for independent Umrah in the law, according to him, the protection of pilgrims is more guaranteed so that Indonesia can maintain the good name of the nation on the international stage, including Saudi Arabia.
Firman added that AMPHURI will also push for the association's role to be explicitly included in the Hajj and Umrah Implementation Bill.
