Checking Pakistan Entry Rules and Official Travel Advice
Visa rules and travel advice change, so we do not repeat them here as fixed facts. This guide points to the official sources to check and explains how to read them for a trip to the north.
Visas
Pakistan issues visas through the Pakistan Online Visa System run by NADRA (visa.nadra.gov.pk). Eligibility, categories, fees and processing times depend on your nationality and can change, so check the portal and your nearest Pakistani embassy or high commission for the current rules before booking flights.
Your government's travel advice
Most governments publish travel advice for Pakistan, often with different advice for different provinces and districts. Read it for every place on your route, not only for Pakistan as a whole, and check it again shortly before you travel. Some travel insurers do not cover areas that your government advises against visiting.
Examples of official advice services
- United States: Department of State travel advisories (travel.state.gov).
- United Kingdom: FCDO foreign travel advice (gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice).
- Canada: Travel advice and advisories (travel.gc.ca).
- Australia: Smartraveller (smartraveller.gov.au).
- Germany: Auswärtiges Amt travel and safety advice (auswaertiges-amt.de).
Permits inside Pakistan
Some trekking and climbing areas need permits. Our programmes list them where they apply: for example, the K2 base camp trek is published as a restricted zone that needs a permit, and expeditions list peak royalty fees. See the permits and zones guide for the full table.