Pakistan announces visa policy exempting fees for 126 countries, offering on-arrival permits

Passengers walk after their arrival at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on January 31, 2020. (AFP/File)

• Pakistan last month exempted 126 countries from visa fees, announced on-arrival visa service for Gulf residents
• Minister says a three-month visa will be directly issued by phone after filling out form comprising 30 questions

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Ataullah Tarar on Tuesday announced that Pakistan’s new policy that exempts 126 countries from visa fees and grants on-arrival visas for Gulf country residents will take effect midnight on August 14, making it easier for tourists and businessmen to visit the South Asian nation.
Pakistan, which has been facing a prolonged economic crisis that has forced it to seek financial assistance from friendly nations and global lenders like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has increasingly sought to introduce policies for the ease of doing business for foreign investors.
The South Asian country last month announced it had made changes to its visa policy by increasing the number of countries exempt from visa fees to 126. The decision came in the wake of Pakistan’s efforts to forge deeper economic and trade ties with regional allies to stabilize a fragile economy.
“Pakistan’s visa policy will be changing tonight at midnight. The visa fees of 126 countries have been abolished and the visa process has become easier,” Tarar said at a press conference on Tuesday. “Gulf country residents can avail a visa on arrival.”
The Gulf countries include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Explaining the process in detail, the information minister said people visiting from any of the 126 countries will merely have to fill out a one-page form consisting of 30 questions within a ten-minute process.
Visa would be issued directly on the phone through which the form was filled and would be valid for three months apart from also being renewable, he added.
Tarar said the new visa policy also included religious tourism due to which Sikh pilgrims could easily visit the South Asian country for their religious festivals.
In a cabinet meeting in last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had pointed out that the new visa policy would lead to a loss of a “few million dollars,” but it would be instrumental in promoting investment in the country.
Sharif had noted that the policy would lead to a significant increase in large-scale economic activities in Pakistan and further boost the country’s foreign exchange reserves.