In the past few days, there has been an announcement from the Taliban Government in Afghanistan regarding visas issued at Afghan embassies and consulates.
Currently there are two sets of governments running Afghan embassies abroad. They are the old government (The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) and the new Taliban-led government (The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan). Previously, visas issued at any of these consulates for travel to Afghanistan were accepted upon entry to Afghanistan. However, a recent announcement from the Taliban has now stated that visas issued at embassies run by the old government will no longer be accepted for travel to country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban said in a press release that some consulates of Afghanistan in England, Australia, Canada and Europe are declared invalid because they do not go along with the Taliban and violate orders.
A statement from the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said:
“ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed Afghans living abroad and foreigners that after the publication of this notice, London, Belgium, Berlin, Bonn, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Canada and Australia. The services provided through the agencies such as: guarantees, non-responsibility sheets, creating and extending passports, visa stickers and other services are not acceptable by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban .”
According to this list, you should still be able to obtain an Afghan visa in Madrid, Spain if you are a Spanish citizen.
So, what are your options now for obtaining an Afghan visa?
Since the Taliban takeover in 2021 there are several embassies that are now under control of the new government which can still issue visas that will be accepted. These are: Doha, Islamabad, Peshawar, Tehran, Mashhad, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and Dubai.
Note that visas issued from the old government were much more expensive than those issued by the new government. A fast-track tourist visa issued in Islamabad will set you back $130 USD, while the same service in London was $350 USD.
If you would like to travel with us to Afghanistan check out our tour dates here , or email us for more information.
