VisaPakistan Visa Prior to Arrival still requires a grant notice before travel
Current guidance explains the free application route, nationality-specific instructions, document preparation and restrictions on using Afghan land crossings.
Official source date: 2026-10-29
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Free permission is not permission to arrive unapproved
Pakistan visitors using Visa Prior to Arrival should obtain the Visa Grant Notice before travelling rather than interpret the category name as permission to arrive without approval. NADRA mobile-application guidance defines the grant notice as the digitally generated visa issued upon authority approval that allows travel. This is current procedural reporting checked on 29 October 2026, not a new announcement of the scheme.
The guide describes the simplified no-fee route for business, tourism and Sikh pilgrimage for citizens of 120 countries. Some diplomatic mission notices describe coverage as 126 countries, so travellers should verify their actual nationality and category in the application rather than rely on an aggregate headline. The distinction is especially relevant where separate visa exemptions apply. A count alone does not establish whether a particular passport needs a grant notice.
Check the mission instructions for the passport concerned
The Pakistan mission in Port Louis identifies the free tourist and business arrangement for Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles. It says Visa Prior to Arrival replaced the former visa-on-arrival policy, including processing charges, and describes a 90-day multiple-entry permission with a 24-working-hour processing period. It identifies a photograph and passport as required documents. Use that mission resource for the nationalities it addresses rather than assume its regular-visa prices apply to every country.
The Bangkok mission announcement for Thai nationals, published on 12 September 2024, similarly directs applicants to select Visa Prior to Arrival and says they can travel once the multiple-entry grant notice is received. Those historical instructions support the advance-approval principle; they are not evidence of a newly launched October 2026 exemption. The current form and individual approval remain necessary checks before booking a journey around the published validity.
Use the document guide and allow time for verification
NADRA general online-application guide explains that each visa category has its own eligibility criteria, validity, requirements and processing information. It also provides help for document uploads and photographs. Use that guide to prepare readable scans and choose the appropriate category instead of uploading an unrelated visa or passport page merely to complete a required field.
The same guide explains that the fee calculator depends on category, subcategory, entries and country. A regular paid visa quotation should therefore not be presented as the price of the free prior-arrival route, nor should a mission-specific tariff be generalized. This review does not establish one processing guarantee for every application. Submit sufficiently ahead to respond to additional checks and retain the actual grant notice, not only a payment receipt or submission screen.
Land crossings need a separate route check
The Pakistan mission Moscow tourist-visa page tells Russian applicants to submit their travel intention at least 24 hours before the trip to receive the grant notice. It also states that foreigners holding Visa Prior to Arrival may not enter or exit through Chaman and Torkham. A valid grant notice should consequently not be treated as approval to use every international checkpoint.
The Moscow page additionally states that sponsor biometric verification through PakID is required for its visa applications and that applications without it will not be processed. Applicants following that mission procedure should resolve the sponsor step before assuming their file is complete. This review does not establish that the mission wording can be extended unchanged to every nationality or visa category; follow the requirements generated for the actual application and ask the relevant mission about unclear sponsor obligations.
British visitors should check entry and exit evidence
UK government entry guidance tells British citizen visitors to apply in advance, have a passport valid at least six months from the visa-application date, and obtain an entry stamp. It warns that leaving without that stamp can be difficult. It also distinguishes valid NICOP or SNICOP holders, who are recognized as Pakistani citizens and may enter without a visa, from ordinary foreign visitors.
An illustrative British traveller should therefore first establish whether they travel as a foreign visitor or hold valid Pakistani citizenship documentation, then complete the appropriate permission and border checks. After arrival, check the recorded stay and arrange any required extension before expiry. The UK resource says an expired visa can require an online exit-permit application from inside Pakistan. Prevent that departure problem by retaining the approval and entry evidence throughout the visit.
