Arriving in Pakistan as a Foreigner: Immigration and Customs

Arriving in Pakistan as a foreigner follows the same order at Islamabad and Lahore: the immigration counter for foreign passports, where you show your passport and your e-visa approval and get an entry stamp, then baggage reclaim, then customs, where alcohol and pork are banned outright. After that you change a little money, sort out a phone connection and meet whoever is driving you. On a normal day, allow about an hour from the aircraft door to the car park.

The one step not to rush is the stamp. The UK government's travel advice tells visitors to make sure the passport is stamped on entry, and warns that leaving Pakistan without an entry stamp will be difficult. Check the page before you walk away from the desk.

This guide takes each step in order for a first-time visitor, then covers the choice that matters most after a night flight: a pre-booked pickup or a taxi.

What should you have in your hand when you land?

Keep these in your hand luggage, not in the hold:

• Your passport. The UK advice says it must have an expiry date at least six months after the date of your visa application.
• Your e-visa approval, printed. Pakistan's visas are issued through the online system at visa.nadra.gov.pk, and the approval is what the officer and, later, hotels and checkpoints ask to see. A copy on your phone is a useful backup but not a substitute, because batteries run out on long journeys. Our Pakistan tourist visa guide explains the application.
• The name, address and phone number of your first night's hotel, written down, in case you are asked where you are staying.
• Your onward or return ticket, on paper or in your airline app.
• Your travel insurance details, including the emergency number.
• A yellow fever certificate, if you are arriving from a country with yellow fever risk. The UK advice lists this as an entry requirement.

If you plan to stay four weeks or more, start thinking now about the polio dose you will need before you fly home. Our vaccinations guide explains the rule and how to get the certificate.

What happens at immigration?

Follow the signs from the aircraft to immigration. Officers of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) staff the desks, and there are separate queues for Pakistani and foreign passports. Join the foreign passport line even if you are travelling with Pakistani family, unless you hold a NICOP or Pakistan Origin Card, in which case our guide to travelling on a NICOP applies instead.

Hand over your passport with the e-visa approval tucked inside. The officer checks the visa against the record, may ask a question or two about the purpose of your visit and where you are staying, and stamps the passport. Answer simply: "tourism", the name of your hotel, how long you are staying.

Then do one thing before you move on: open the passport and find the stamp. The UK advice is plain that you should get your passport stamped on entry and that leaving without an entry stamp will be difficult. If the page is blank, go straight back to the desk while you are still airside. Sorting it out later means dealing with the Ministry of Interior or a NADRA office, which is a day you do not want to lose.

The same advice notes that enhanced screening and testing for mpox may take place on entry. If health staff stop you near immigration, it is routine; cooperate and keep your flight details to hand.

What can't you bring through customs?

After reclaim you choose a customs channel: green if you have nothing to declare, red if you do. Officers can still stop and scan bags in the green channel.

The rules that catch foreign visitors are these:

• Alcohol is banned. The UK advice says it is illegal to import alcohol and that you could be detained for trying. That includes the duty-free bottle you bought on the way. Leave it in the transit airport.
• Pork is banned, for the same reason and with the same warning. That covers sausages, salami and pork snacks in your bag.
• Declare anything dutiable or restricted. If you are carrying something unusual, such as professional camera kit or goods in commercial quantities, use the red channel and ask. A declared item costs you duty; an undeclared one can be seized.
• Declare foreign currency over US$10,000. Under the customs rule notified by Pakistan's Federal Board of Revenue in 2022, an incoming passenger carrying more than US$10,000 or its equivalent must file a declaration, either at the customs counter or electronically. The threshold for declaring cash when you leave is lower, at US$5,000.
• Drones are a grey area. We could not find a clear official rule for tourists. Secondary sources say a permit is needed and that an undeclared drone may be confiscated, so leave yours at home unless permission has been arranged in writing before you fly.
• Prescription medicines are fine for personal use. Bring them in their original packaging with a copy of the prescription.

Should you change money at the airport?

Change a little, not a lot. Airport counters are convenient but their rates are usually a few per cent worse than in the city.

In Islamabad, the Pakistan Airports Authority opened a currency exchange counter inside the international arrivals lounge in March 2026, so you can change money before you meet your driver. There are also bank ATMs in the terminals, though not every machine accepts every foreign card.

As a rough starting amount, PKR 10,000 to 20,000 (about US$36 to US$72 at October 2026 rates) is enough for porters, snacks and the first day's small spending. Do the rest in the city at a licensed exchange dealer, and bring clean US dollar or euro notes in good condition, because damaged notes are often refused. Our guide to money in Pakistan for tourists covers exchange, ATMs and how much cash to carry in the north.

How do you get a phone connection?

You have three options:

1. An eSIM bought before you fly. You land connected and skip the counter. It is data only on most travel plans. Our eSIM guide explains what works.
2. A local SIM. Operators sell SIMs to foreign visitors with a passport and valid visa, and take your fingerprints at the counter. You may find an operator counter in the arrivals area, but we could not confirm which counters are open at Islamabad and Lahore in 2026, and late at night they may be shut. If so, buy from an operator's own shop or franchise in the city the next day.
3. Roaming on your home SIM. Expensive, but it works the moment you land, which matters if you need to call your driver.

If you put a Pakistani SIM in your own phone, register the handset with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Visitors can register one phone free of tax for up to 120 days per visit through PTA's DIRBS portal, and news reports on the scheme say it should be done within 60 days of arrival. Without registration the phone will eventually stop working on the local network. Our SIM card guide for tourists walks through it.

Islamabad and Lahore: what is different?

Islamabad International Airport is a long way from the city. Routing software puts it about 35 km by road from the Blue Area; allow 40 minutes to an hour for the drive. It is closer to Rawalpindi, but still a proper drive. Our Islamabad airport guide covers the taxi desks and the Orange Line metro bus from the terminal. Note that the UK advice tells British travellers to avoid public transport, including the Metro Bus between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, because of crime. With luggage on your first night, a car is the sensible choice anyway.

Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore is much closer: about 8 to 10 km by road to Gulberg or the Mall, though traffic makes it much slower at peak times. There is no train or metro to the terminal. Our Lahore airport guide covers the taxi rank and the alternatives.

Both airports are busy and can be crowded. The UK advice also notes that transport hubs, including airports, are at risk of attack, which is a reason not to linger outside the terminal once you have your bags.

Pickup or taxi, especially at night?

For a foreign visitor on a first trip, a pickup arranged in advance is the clear answer, and at night it is the only one we would suggest.

The UK government's advice is specific. It tells visitors to avoid street taxis, e-taxis and online taxi apps, and to use only taxis from reputable, licensed companies that you call, where the operator contacts the driver. Pakistani travellers use ride apps every day, but on your first night, with bags, no working SIM and no idea of the roads, they are the hardest option to manage.

What works:

• A hotel pickup. Most mid-range and better hotels in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore arrange airport transfers. Ask the price in writing when you book.
• A pickup by your tour operator, with the driver's name and number sent before you fly. If you are travelling with us, the airport pickup is part of every one of our Pakistan tours for international travellers.
• The airport's taxi desk, if nothing is arranged and you land in the daytime. Agree the fare at the desk before you leave the building.

Agree a meeting point by message before you fly, and send a message when you have your bags, not when you land, because immigration and reclaim can take an hour on a full flight. Drivers usually wait outside the arrivals exit rather than at the baggage belt. Politely ignore anyone in the hall offering a car.

What else is worth sorting on day one?

• Photocopy your passport and visa. The UK advice says to carry photo ID at all times, and hotels and northern checkpoints take copies. A few printed copies save time.
• Expect hotel registration. Every hotel records your passport and visa at check-in. Our guide to hotel registration for foreigners explains what is normal.
• Keep the first day light. After a night flight, a gentle afternoon in Islamabad or Lahore is better than an early mountain flight the next morning. Flights to Gilgit and Skardu are often cancelled for weather, and a spare day at the start protects the rest of the plan.
• Read the current travel advice once more. The UK advice was updated on 13 October 2026 after emergency measures and governor's rule were introduced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 11 October, with reports of road closures and internet disruption there. Our guide to whether Pakistan is safe for tourists sets out which areas carry warnings.

Frequently asked questions