ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE STAY OF EXECUTION ORDER GRANTED IN THE LAWSUIT FILED BY OUR ASSOCIATION AGAINST THE INTERMINISTERIAL HAJJ AND UMRAH COMMITTEE’S DECISION TO SET A SECURITY DEPOSIT OF 250,000 USD

Dear Members,

Our association has filed a lawsuit requesting a stay of execution against the regulation issued by the Inter-Ministerial Hajj and Umrah Board, which, according to the 2026-2027 Agency Umrah Regulations, stipulates that the average Umrah fee should be accepted as 1,000 USD and requires travel agencies to provide a guarantee letter of 250,000 USD (half of this amount) valid until September 20, 2027, based on a minimum of 500 Umrah pilgrims.

In the legal proceedings conducted by the 10th Chamber of the Council of State under case number 2026/5152, our requests were deemed justified, and our request for a STAY OF EXECUTION regarding the phrases "at least 500" and "valid until 20.09.2027" in the 2026-2027 Agency Umrah Terms and Conditions was ACCEPTED.

With this decision, travel agencies wishing to sign the Agency Umrah Agreement with the Presidency of Religious Affairs will no longer be required to deposit a fixed security deposit of 250,000 USD; instead, they will only be required to deposit a security deposit of 500 USD, which is half of the accepted average fee of 1,000 USD per pilgrim they take.

It is important to note that the deadline for signing the Umrah Agreement with the Presidency of Religious Affairs is July 17, 2026. Members who previously deposited a fixed amount of 250,000 USD as a security deposit with the Presidency of Religious Affairs have the right, in accordance with the aforementioned Council of State decision, to apply to the Presidency for a refund of the excess deposit.

The aforementioned Decision to Suspend Execution is included in the Annex.

Respectfully submitted for your information.

Turkish Travel Agencies Association
TÜRSAB

Annex - 1: Decision to Suspend Execution