Visa policy of Pakistan

Pakistan Visit visa in a Singaporean passport
Entry stamp for Pakistan to a national of Singapore
Exit stamp for Pakistan to a national of Singapore

Visitors to Pakistan typically must obtain a visa from one of the Pakistani diplomatic missions.[1] Pakistani missions abroad offer various categories of visas, with some travelers eligible for visa on arrival if traveling as part of a group tour, or for business. Pakistan does not offer visa-on-arrival for individual tourists, though nationals of some countries do not require a visa for travel to Pakistan. Pakistani visas are ranked by Wanderlust magazine as one of the top 5 hardest visas to obtain.[2]

Applicants must typically apply for visas in their country of origin, but may apply from a third country if they are legal permanent residents of that country.[3]

Visa policy map

Visa policy of Pakistan
  Pakistan
  Visa free
  Business & group tourist visa on arrival
  Business visa on arrival
  Visa required
  Visa & mandatory police registration required
  Ineligible for tourist visa. All other visas require clearance from Ministry of Interior before issuance, and holders are subject to mandatory police registration.

Visa-free entry

Citizens from the following 5 countries holding ordinary passports do not require a visa for Pakistan.[4][1]

Visa on arrival

Business visa

Citizens from the following 67 countries may obtain a visa on arrival when traveling on business for a maximum stay of 30 days, provided they have a local sponsor who must first obtain an approval from the immigration authorities at the intended port of arrival, and if they possess one of the following documents: recommendation letter from Chamber of Commerce & Industries (CC&I) in country of residence, invitation letter from business organization recommended by the concerned trade organization/association in Pakistan, or recommendation letter by Investor Consular of Board of Investment posted at Pakistan missions abroad.[8][9]

The scheme was introduced in 2006 and it was announced in April 2014 that the policy will be replaced with reciprocal policy that will allow visa on arrival only for businessmen from countries that have the same policy for Pakistani businessmen.[10]

Tour group visa

Citizens from the following 24 countries may obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 30 days, if they are travelling as part of a group through a designated tour operator:[11][12]

Tourist visas

Tourists visas are issued to nationals of 182 countries, excluding India.[3] Visas are granted for 90 day stays, with two entries permitted.[3] Tourist holders are allowed to overstay their visa period by 15 days, but are subject to an additional $10 fee.[3] Overstays of longer periods are subjected to higher fees.[3] Visa extensions for a maximum of 6 months are possible.[3]

In February 2018 Pakistan announced that it would begin issuing eVisas.[13]

Diplomatic and service category passports

  Pakistan
  Visa free access for diplomatic and service category passports
  Visa free access for diplomatic passports

Pakistan has visa-abolition agreements for holders of diplomatic and official passports from the following countries, who do not require visas for Pakistan:[14]

Visa free agreement for diplomatic and special passports was signed with  Cyprus in July 2017 and is yet to be ratified.[15]

Visa-free agreement for holders of diplomatic passports was signed with  Turkmenistan in January 2018 and it is yet to be ratified.[16]

Mandatory registration

Visitors from the following countries are obliged to register with the police upon arrival to Pakistan:[17]

Police registration is typically performed by hotel staff as part of the check-in process. In person visits to police stations are only required of visitors who choose not to stay in licensed hotels or hostels.

Special categories

Overseas Pakistani citizens and Persons of Pakistani Origin

Visas are not required for holders of a Pakistan Origin Card (POC, a National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistani (NICOP), or any passport bearing a "Visa exempt" stamp by Pakistani authorities

Nationals of Turkey holding a valid visa for the Schengen Area, United Kingdom or the United States, can obtain a visa on arrival.[18]

Israeli passport holders

Pakistan does not bar Israeli citizens from traveling to Pakistan. Though Pakistan has no diplomatic mission in Israel, applicants for Pakistani visas can apply in a third country if they are legal permanent residents in that country.[3] Israeli passport holders, along with Palestinian passport holders, are required to register their stay with local police authorities,[3] unless granted a work visa.[3]

Indian passport holders

Applications from Indian passport holders must be cleared directly from the Ministry of Interior,[3] though they are not barred from visiting Pakistan despite being subject to additional regulations, including mandatory police registration,[3] regardless of visa type.[19] Foreigners of Indian origin are subject to this regulation as well.[3] Indian nationals are also restricted in the availability of ports of entry to Pakistan, and instead must enter and leave the country via designated points, including the Wagah border, as well as through airports in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi.[19] Indian nationals are typically required to enter and exit Pakistan through the same post, unless permission is sought in advance.[19]

Indian passport holders are not granted tourist visas, and are only permitted to apply for visas to visit family and friends, business visas, transit visas, and visas for religious pilgrimage.[19] Six month business visas are granted to Indian passport holders, with multiple entries permitted.[19] Indian passport holders are also ineligible for any visa extensions,[3] though passport holders who stay longer than the time permitted by the visa are subject to a fee of 40 Rupees per day of overstay.[20]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Country information (visa section)". Timatic. International Air Transport Association (IATA) through Olympic Air. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  2. ↑ "The 5 hardest-to-get visas and how to save money securing them". Wanderlust. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Directorate General of Immigration & Passports, Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan".
  4. ↑ "Directorate General of Immigration & Passports, Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan".
  5. ↑ Was applied from 1975-1976
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ https://www.timaticweb.com/cgi-bin/tim_website_client.cgi?FullText=1&COUNTRY=PK&SECTION=VI&SUBSECTION=IS&user=KLMB2C&subuser=KLMB2C%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D
  9. ↑ "Directorate General of Immigration & Passports, Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan".
  10. ↑ "NA question hour: Reciprocal business visa policy on cards". The Express Tribune. 5 April 2014.
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ "Directorate General of Immigration & Passports, Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan".
  13. ↑ Pakistan contemplating to issue E-Visa soon, says Ahsan
  14. ↑ Entry into Pakistan without Visa. List of Countries with whom Pakistan has Visa Abolition Aggrements
  15. ↑
  16. ↑
  17. ↑ "Directorate General of Immigration & Passports, Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan".
  18. ↑ https://www.timaticweb.com/cgi-bin/tim_website_client.cgi?SpecData=1&VISA=&page=visa&NA=TR&AR=00&PASSTYPES=PASS&DE=PK&user=KLMB2C&subuser=KLMB2C
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 "Directorate General of Immigration & Passports, Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan".
  20. ↑ http://www.dgip.gov.pk/Files/Visa.aspx
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