Pakistan has just announced that they are liberalising their current eVisa system. This is great news for travellers wanting to explore this fascinating and unique country. The Pakistani government has announced that they are expanding the number of eligible passports to 126 countries that will be able to utilise the Pakistan eVisa
The news gets even better. They’ve also removed the fee! But not only do you now get to keep more money in your back pocket, they also now are issuing blanket 90 day visas, meaning you’ll have even more time to explore Pakistan in-depth.
The eVisa application has been simplified and now only contains 30 simple questions, as opposed to the old eVisa which was pages and pages long, and often needed to be done over the course of several days while you sorted out supporting documents. And no more dreaded travel history question – the bane of any regular traveller’s existence!
When logging on to the Pakistan eVisa portal ( found here ) you will need to select “Visa prior to arrival” and then complete the online form. As the visa fee is no longer applicable, you will no longer need to make a payment online. It has been announced as part of the shake up that eVisas will be processed immediately and you should have an approved visa in your inbox within 10 minutes of submission.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, announced the new regulations stating “this easing of the visa regime will help make Pakistan an attractive destination for investments and tourism” . The Pakistani economy has been struggling in recent years, so anything to encourage both tourism and investment will hopefully be beneficial to the people of Pakistan.
In other news, passport holders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait will now receive a visa on arrival, also free of charge, without needing to complete any online forms before arrival, requiring just a valid passport.
These are the countries that are now eligible for the free Pakistan eVisa:
| Albania | Bhutan | Czech Republic | Ghana | Ivory Coast | Madagascar | Nepal | Qatar | South Korea | Uganda |
| Algeria | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Greece | Japan | Malawi | Netherlands | Romania | South Sudan | Ukraine |
| Andorra | Brazil | Denmark | Guatemala | Jordan | Malaysia | New Zealand | Russia | Spain | United Arab Emirates |
| Angola | Brunei | Djibouti | Guinea | Kazakhstan | Maldives | Nigeria | Rwanda | Sri Lanka | United Kingdom |
| Argentina | Bulgaria | Ecuador | Guinea-Bissau | Kenya | Malta | North Macedonia | San Marino | Sweden | United States |
| Australia | Cambodia | Egypt | Honduras | Kosovo | Mauritania | Norway | Saudi Arabia | Switzerland | Uzbekistan |
| Austria | Cameroon | Estonia | Hungary | Kuwait | Mauritius | Oman | Senegal | Tajikistan | Vietnam |
| Azerbaijan | Canada | Ethiopia | Iceland | Kyrgyzstan | Mexico | Panama | Seychelles | Tanzania | Zambia |
| Bahrain | Chile | Finland | Indonesia | Latvia | Moldova | Paraguay | Sierra Leone | Thailand | Zimbabwe |
| Bangladesh | China | France | Iran | Lebanon | Montenegro | Peru | Singapore | Togo |
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| Belarus | Colombia | Gambia | Iraq | Liechtenstein | Morocco | Philippines | Slovakia | Tunisia |
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| Belgium | Comoros | Georgia | Ireland | Lithuania | Mozambique | Poland | Slovenia | Turkey |
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| Benin | Croatia | Germany | Italy | Luxembourg | Myanmar | Portugal | South Africa | Turkmenistan |
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This is also great news for those wanting to travel to Afghanistan, as Islamabad and Peshawar are currently the two easiest places to obtain an Afghanistan visa. The most affordable flights in and out of Afghanistan are also through Pakistan, thus making Pakistan a more efficient starting place for your Afghanistan adventure.
If you'd like to make use of this new system, check out our Afghanistan and Pakistan tours here .
