Pakistan The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to: the areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province formerly known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas the districts of Charsadda, Kohat, Tank, Bannu, Lakki, Dera Ismail Khan, Swat, Buner and Lower Dir in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa the city of Peshawar and districts south of the city, including travel on the Peshawar to Chitral road via the Lowari Pass Balochistan province including the city of Quetta but excluding the southern coast of Balochistan (see below) the section of the Karakoram Highway (also known as Kara Karam Highway or KKH) from Mansehra to Chilas, via Battagram, Besham City, Dasu and Sazin the immediate vicinity of the Line of Control The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to: Arandu town and the road between Mirkhani and Arandu in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province the southern coast of Balochistan, defined as the area south of (and including) the N10 motorway as well as the section of the N25 which runs from N10/N25 intersection to the Balochistan/Sindh border, including the port city of Gwadar areas of Sindh Province north of, and including, the city of Nawabshah the remainder of Pakistan based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks From 4am on 9 April visitors who have been in or transited through Pakistan in the previous 10 days cannot enter UK. British and Irish nationals and third country nationals with residence rights in the UK arriving in England from Pakistan will be required to quarantine in a hotel. Different rules apply for arrivals into Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. From 1 January onwards, those with residence rights includes: holders of Indefinite Leave to Remain; holders of existing leave to enter or remain (i.e those with biometric Residence permits) or an entry clearance/visa that grants such leave e.g. students, workers, etc (excluding visit visas); holders of EU Settlement Scheme (“EUSS”) leave; those who have rights of entry under the Withdrawal Agreements (including returning residents with a right of residence under the EEA Regulations and EEA frontier workers); family members of EEA nationals with rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. Travel to Pakistan is subject to entry restrictions On 20 March, the Pakistan government announced that entry restrictions for inbound travellers from the UK will be lifted from 0001 hours on 23 March. See Entry requirements for more information before you plan to travel. Travellers from the UK and a number of other countries are required to present evidence of a negative COVID-19 test taken up to 72 hours before the start of travel. Arrivals from some countries are exempted from this requirement. There are some additional arrangements on arrival – please see Pakistan government advice Travellers entering Pakistan must also provide traveller contact information through the PassTrack mobile app or an accessible web-based form If travelling by air, you will be subject to screening for COVID-19 symptoms on arrival. Pakistan government guidelines state that if an international traveller is symptomatic on arrival, they will be required to take a COVID-19 test and self-isolate if the result is positive Pakistan has closed its land borders with Afghanistan, India and Iran. See Entry requirements for more information before you plan to travel. Preparing for your return journey to the UK If you’re returning to the UK from overseas, you will need to: provide your journey and contact details before you travel check if you need to self-isolate on your return If your return journey to the UK transits another country, you should check whether it is subject to a travel ban or any other additional requirements. If so, contact your travel provider. Check our advice on foreign travel during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and sign up for email alerts for this travel advice. If you’re planning travel to Pakistan, find out what you need to know about coronavirus there in the Coronavirus section. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to get travel insurance and check it provides sufficient cover. See the FCDO guidance on foreign travel insurance. For information about COVID-19 vaccines, see the Coronavirus page In recent years, the security situation in Pakistan has improved considerably following action by the Pakistan government and security forces. In 2018, there were an estimated 484,000 visits by British nationals to Pakistan. Most visits are trouble free. Following a terrorist attack in Pulwama in February 2019, there are heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly across the Line of Control. Certain flight routes or airports continue to experience restrictions. You should check with your airline for the latest information on the status of your flight before travelling to the airport for any flight to and from Pakistan. Protests can take place throughout Pakistan with little warning and turn violent quickly. You should avoid demonstrations, large crowds of people and public events. See Safety and security Some periods of the year may pose heightened risks. During holy periods/religious holidays, there is an increased potential for targeted attacks, including on western interests and religious minorities. Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Pakistan. There’s a high threat of terrorism, kidnap and sectarian violence throughout the country, including the major cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi. Foreigners, in particular westerners, may be directly targeted. You should be vigilant, try to avoid all crowds and public events including political gatherings and religious events throughout Pakistan, and take appropriate security precautions. Densely populated and unsecured areas, such as markets, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, airports, public transport, schools and educational institutions are potential focal points for attacks. You should be extra vigilant at all times in such areas and minimise your exposure to areas that pose a higher risk. See Terrorism Pakistan is in a major earthquake zone and remains at risk from further earthquakes, aftershocks, landslides and flooding. You should familiarise yourself with safety procedures in the event of an earthquake. See Natural disasters Consular support is severely limited in parts of Pakistan where the FCDO has existing advice against all travel and all but essential travel (as set out above). Consular support is also limited in parts of Pakistan where High Commission officials require travel permission from the government
