Note: Since September 14th, 2022 the Pakistan Pass Track is no longer needed to enter the country.
Visa Policy for Pakistan
The Pakistan Visa Policy comprises the rules and regulations that every citizen of all the countries around the world who wish to travel to the country of Pakistan must follow. They have to follow these sets of rules and regulations regardless of their purpose of travel. To enter Pakistan, all travelers must obtain a visa. A visa is an authorized official document with which a traveler can enter the country, live in the country, and leave the country officially.
The Pakistan Visa Policy states that the rules and regulations must be followed by all nationals from all over the world. Having a visa with them is necessary or they will be denied from entering the country for their purpose. This rule does not apply to 5 countries namely Nepal, Maldives, Tonga, Samoa, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Pakistan Visa Policy may vary from country to country. All nationalists have to follow the rules to acquire a valid visa to enter the country. The requirements and rules and regulations depend on the visitor’s duration of stay and the purpose of their visit and stay in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Visa Policy allows citizens of different countries to acquire a visa in different ways. All countries are not granted the facility of not having a visa to enter the country. The different ways in which a person can obtain their visa depend totally on the permission granted by the Pakistan Visa Policy.
There are currently 5 types of visa requirements that are offered by the Pakistan Visa Policy to nationalists depending on their nationality. They are visa-free entry, ETA for tourism and business purposes, ETA for business purposes only, online visa application only, and a visa required in advance before visiting the country.
The 5 countries that do not require a visa to enter Pakistan, can stay up to a short period of 30 days only. The visa exemption has a limit of 1 month and if the travelers of these countries wish to stay for a longer duration, they have to acquire a visa through an online application or they have to visit the nearest Pakistani government foreign diplomatic mission to acquire a visa. The only thing that they need to have is a passport valid for a minimum of 6 months to enter the country of Pakistan.
Various countries can obtain a visa on arrival for business purposes to enter Pakistan and they can stay in the country for 30 days. There are several countries too that will be granted a visa on arrival for tourism purposes.
There are more than 70 countries in the world that have to obtain a visa at the Pakistani embassy or consulate before they visit the country. They cannot opt for an online visa or a visa on arrival. In addition to this, there are 8 countries from the list that need to obtain an approval visa and need to complete a compulsory registration upon their arrival in Pakistan.
These countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Israel, Nigeria, Palestine, Somalia, and Uganda. If they fail to acquire a visa beforehand, they will not be allowed to enter Pakistan.
In the section below, you will be guided through the whole Pakistan Visa Policy and the various ways in which visas can be acquired to enter the country of Pakistan.
Tourist Visa Policy for Pakistan
Travelers who want to visit the country of Pakistan for tourism or business purposes need to acquire a visa depending on the country that they belong to as according to the Pakistan Visa Policy, citizens from different countries need to acquire their visas in different ways. There are 3 ways by which people can obtain a visa for Pakistan. A visa for Pakistan may be obtained by filling an online visa application form known as eVisa. Some citizens can also obtain a VOA which stands for Visa on arrival and some nationalists have to obtain a visa from the Pakistani Embassy in their country.
For a VOA for tourism purposes, people from around 50 countries need to possess an ETA which stands for Electronic Travel Authorization. This is valid for up to 30 days. A business visa on arrival will be provided to nationalists from 95 countries and they can stay in the country for a month as well. However, they have to produce some required documents which will be asked for to obtain a VOA.
Travelers need to follow various rules and regulations according to the Pakistan Visa Policy to acquire a visa in any of the 3 ways. If they fail to do so, their entry will be denied in the country.
Pakistani eVisa
Travelers from around 125 countries are eligible to apply for a Pakistani visa. They just need to fill up a simple form with all the required information. They need to provide a valid email ID so that the visa might be directly mailed to them.
A person who obtains a tourist eVisa can stay in the country for up to 30 days but the duration can be extended for up to 6 months. An eVisa for business is valid for up to 5 years with the facility of multiple entries. Those applying for a tourist visa have to upload their hotel reservation confirmation with the form and the ones applying for a business eVisa will have to upload a letter from their company.
Pakistani VOA
The people who need a VOA for tourism purposes need to apply online and register themselves by providing the various documents that will be asked for. The people of various countries who need to apply for a business VOA will first need to visit their nearest Pakistani embassy for application and an interview.
The tourism VOA is valid for 30 days and the business VOA is also valid for 30 days.
Pakistani Consular Visa
People from 8 countries have no other option to obtain a visa but by visiting the Pakistani Embassy in their country to apply for one. They will have to make an appointment at the embassy, fill up an application form, attach several documents and sit for an interview to acquire a visa for Pakistan.
Their application form and interview will determine the type of visa that they will be receiving. They will either get a business visa, tourist visa, student visa, or other types of visa valid according to the Pakistan Visa Policy.