NOC for Azad Kashmir: Rules for Pakistanis, NICOP and Foreigners

Pakistani citizens don't need an NOC for Azad Kashmir. A CNIC, or a NICOP for overseas Pakistanis, is all you need, and you will show it at checkpoints and hotels. Foreign nationals can visit most of the territory without one, but need an NOC from the Ministry of Interior to go within five miles of the Line of Control, a belt that takes in most of the Neelum Valley and the Leepa Valley. It takes four to six weeks, so apply well before the trip.

The confusing cases are families where not everyone holds Pakistani ID: a foreign spouse, children on foreign passports, or relatives with a Pakistan Origin Card. This guide goes through each.

Do Pakistanis need an NOC for Azad Kashmir?

No. Azad Kashmir is open to Pakistani citizens, including the Neelum and Leepa valleys along the LoC. What you do need is your identity card, and plenty of occasions to show it:

• At the entry points into Azad Kashmir, such as the bridges at Kohala and Azad Pattan, where police may stop cars.
• At police and army checkpoints up the Neelum Valley and on the road into Leepa.
• At hotels. Since January 2025, hotels and guesthouses in the Neelum Valley have had to register guests' details and itineraries on a "safe tourism" app used by the district administration and police, so expect to hand over the CNIC of every adult at check-in.

Carry originals, not photos on your phone, and keep them in the car rather than in a bag in the boot. Carry the car's registration papers too, and if you are driving someone else's car, a note from the owner saves questions.

Children don't have a CNIC. A copy of each child's Form-B, or their passport, is light to carry and settles any question.

The one thing no document can guarantee is access. In May 2025, during the confrontation with India, checkpoints stopped all tourists entering the Neelum Valley, and in June 2026 the AJK government asked visitors to stay away during protests. Our guide to whether Azad Kashmir is safe covers the current picture.

NICOP holders: the same as a CNIC

The NICOP is issued by NADRA to Pakistani citizens living abroad, including dual nationals. It is proof of Pakistani citizenship, so at a checkpoint it does the same job as a CNIC and no NOC is needed.

The catch is when the NICOP stays at home. If you hold Pakistani citizenship but carry only your British, American or other foreign passport, there is nothing in your hand that proves it, and you may be treated as the foreign national your passport says you are. Bring the NICOP, or your old CNIC if it is still valid, even if you entered Pakistan on a foreign passport.

POC holders: visa-free, but still foreign

The Pakistan Origin Card is for foreign nationals of Pakistani origin, and for foreigners married to Pakistani citizens, with some exceptions by nationality. It lets the holder enter Pakistan without a visa, which is a real convenience for families who visit often.

It does not make the holder a Pakistani citizen. For the restricted belt along the LoC, we plan as if the ordinary rules for foreign nationals apply: arrange an NOC in advance, or keep the trip to the parts of Azad Kashmir outside the belt. NADRA's site at nadra.gov.pk explains who can hold a POC and a NICOP.

Where foreign nationals need an NOC

In 2019 the government ended the NOC requirement for foreign tourists across most of Pakistan. It kept a short list of restricted areas, and in Azad Kashmir that is a belt five miles deep along the Line of Control.

In practice, that belt covers:

• Most of the Neelum Valley. At Keran the river itself is the LoC, and the road stays close to it most of the way to Kel and Taobat.
• Leepa Valley, which runs right up to the line.
• Crossing points and border villages, such as Chakothi at the end of the Jhelum valley road, and Baghsar Fort near Bhimber.

Muzaffarabad, Pir Chinasi, Mirpur and Mangla Lake are well away from the line. For anywhere else, check a map before you plan. The UK government also notes that permission is needed for several districts of Azad Kashmir, and it advises against all travel within 10 miles of the LoC.

How to apply for the NOC

The NOC is issued by the Ministry of Interior in Islamabad on its form titled "Request for NOC for movement of foreigners in restricted / prohibited areas". The application asks for:

1. A completed form with a photograph, and the ministry's computer proforma.
2. A copy of the passport, including the Pakistan visa page and entry stamp.
3. Details of a host or sponsor in Pakistan, with full address and phone number.
4. The purpose of the visit, the places to be visited, and the dates.
5. Where you will stay, and how you will travel.
6. A detailed programme of the visit, with four sets of everything.

The ministry's checklist says to allow four to six weeks. Because the form asks for a host or sponsor, the application usually goes through a Pakistani host or a registered tour operator, who can present the programme and hotel bookings. Once you have the NOC, carry several copies for the checkpoints.

Our Neelum Valley Escape includes permits for the upper valley in its price, so mention any foreign passports in the group when you enquire.

Foreign spouses travelling with the family

The most common case is an overseas Pakistani family in which one parent, or the children, hold only foreign passports. A few options:

• Stay outside the belt. Muzaffarabad, Pir Chinasi and Mirpur need no NOC, and the whole family can travel together without paperwork.
• Apply early if the Neelum Valley matters. Four to six weeks is a minimum, so apply before you fly.
• Don't count on talking your way through. A foreign passport at a Neelum checkpoint without an NOC is likely to mean turning back, and the rest of the car turning back with it.
• Check the children's documents. Children on foreign passports without a NICOP are foreign nationals for these purposes too.

Also check your travel insurance. Many policies don't cover areas where the traveller's own government advises against travel, which for UK nationals includes the LoC belt.

Is it worth the paperwork?

For a Pakistani family, there is no paperwork, only the discipline of carrying every CNIC. For a family with a foreign spouse, it depends on the goal. If the aim is green hills, rivers and a few cool nights, Muzaffarabad and Pir Chinasi give that without an NOC. If the aim is Keran, Sharda and Arang Kel, apply early and accept that the NOC can still be overtaken by events on the LoC.

Our travel guide covers documents, money and health for the rest of the north, and the drive itself is covered in our Islamabad to Neelum Valley route guide.

Frequently asked questions