British citizens need a Pakistan visa before they travel; there is no visa on arrival for ordinary tourists. For most people that means applying online for an e-visa at visa.nadra.gov.pk, the only official portal, run by NADRA, Pakistan's national database authority. This guide covers the standard tourist e-visa, when a family visit visa applies instead, and what NICOP and the Pakistan Origin Card mean if you or your family have Pakistani roots.
The standard route: the tourist e-visa
Most British tourists apply for the ordinary e-visa online, ahead of travel:
- Create an account at visa.nadra.gov.pk and choose the tourist category.
- Upload a passport scan valid for at least six months beyond your entry date, a recent digital photograph and your travel details.
- Pay the fee online by card. Pakistan's e-visa fees are set per nationality and vary by visa type, so check the figure shown for a UK passport at the time you apply rather than a number quoted elsewhere.
- Wait for approval, then print or save it. You show this, with your passport, at immigration on arrival.
Build in time for processing rather than applying the week before you fly; busy periods around summer, Eid and the December holidays tend to run slower. Our guide to the Pakistan tourist visa and e-visa system covers timings, documents and other visa categories in more detail.
If you're visiting Pakistani family: the family visit visa
If you're travelling to stay with a Pakistani spouse, in-laws or other relatives rather than touring generally, the family visit visa on the same NADRA portal is usually the better fit, and it can carry a longer validity than the ordinary tourist visa. It is applied for online in the same way, with supporting evidence of the relationship and, often, an invitation from the family in Pakistan. Our guide to the Pakistan visa for a foreign spouse sets out what that evidence needs to look like and how the process differs from a standard tourist application.
NICOP and POC: if you have Pakistani origin
Many British citizens travelling to Pakistan were born there, or have a Pakistani parent, and don't need an ordinary visa at all.
- NICOP (National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis) is for people who are still Pakistani citizens but live abroad. If you hold Pakistani nationality alongside your British passport, NICOP lets you enter without a visa and travel on your Pakistani passport.
- POC (Pakistan Origin Card) is for people of Pakistani origin who are not Pakistani citizens, including those who gave up Pakistani citizenship, and the spouses and minor children of POC or NICOP holders. A POC gives visa-free, indefinite entry and the right to live, work and buy property in Pakistan, but it is not citizenship: POC holders can't vote or hold a Pakistani passport.
If you already hold a valid Pakistani passport, you travel on that rather than your British one, and no separate visa is needed, provided it has at least six months' validity left. If you're a British citizen with no Pakistani documents at all, none of this applies to you and the ordinary e-visa is the route. For the full detail on applying for either card and travelling on one with children, see our guide to travelling to Pakistan on a NICOP or POC.
What the e-visa doesn't cover
A visa gets you into the country generally, not into every part of it. A small number of areas near the borders with China, Afghanistan and India, and near the Line of Control in Azad Kashmir, need a separate No Objection Certificate on top of your visa or NICOP/POC status. The main tourist routes through Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab and most of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa don't require one. Our guide to NOCs for foreigners in Pakistan explains where the line falls.
Check UK travel advice before you book
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) publishes travel advice for Pakistan that changes with the security situation, including areas it advises against travelling to at all and others it advises against travel to unless essential. This is separate from your visa: your visa can be perfectly valid for a region the FCDO currently advises against visiting. Check the current advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/pakistan before you finalise your route, and be aware that travelling against that advice can affect your travel insurance. Our travel guide has more on planning routes around the areas currently flagged.
Applying with children
Children need their own passport and, in most cases, their own visa application, even when travelling on a parent's booking. If a child holds Pakistani identity documents through a parent, check whether NICOP or POC applies to them individually rather than assuming the parent's status covers them.
Frequently asked questions
Can British citizens get a Pakistan visa on arrival?
No, not for ordinary tourism. British passport holders need to apply for and receive their visa before travelling, through the NADRA e-visa portal or, for a family visit, the same site's family visit category.
Do British citizens of Pakistani origin still need a visa?
Not if they hold a valid NICOP (as a Pakistani citizen abroad) or a Pakistan Origin Card. Those documents allow visa-free entry. A British citizen with Pakistani heritage but no NICOP or POC still needs an ordinary e-visa.
What is the difference between NICOP and POC?
NICOP is for people who remain Pakistani citizens while living abroad. POC is for people of Pakistani origin who are not Pakistani citizens, including former citizens and the spouses and children of POC or NICOP holders. Only NICOP allows travel on a Pakistani passport; POC does not grant citizenship.
How long does a Pakistan e-visa take for UK applicants?
Processing has generally run around 7 to 10 working days in 2026, longer in peak season. Apply several weeks ahead of travel rather than the week before.
Does my Pakistan visa let me travel anywhere in the country?
Not automatically. A handful of border areas and parts of Azad Kashmir near the Line of Control require a separate No Objection Certificate. Most of the standard tourist circuit does not.
