Pakistan
Warnings and insuranceSummary
ThePakistan Foreign,International CommonwealthAirlines &(PIA) Developmenthave Officerecently (FCDO)cancelled providesmultiple adviceflights aboutto risksand offrom travelGilgit toand helpSkardu BritishAirports nationalsin makethe informedNorth decisions.of FindPakistan. outThere moreare aboutcurrently FCDOno travelother advice.
Areascarriers whereavailable FCDOto advisesor againstfrom travel
YourRoad travelroutes insuranceare couldalso likely to be invalidatedrestricted ifby youseasonal travelweather, againstwith FCDOthe advice.Babusar Pass liable to close due to snowfall.
Pakistan-Afghanistan border
FCDOOptions advisesto againstleave allthe travelNorth of Pakistan are likely to withinbecome 10limited. milesIf ofyou theare borderaffected betweenyou Pakistanshould andconsult Afghanistan.
Khyberyour Pakhtunkhwaairline Province
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to these areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province: to:
- Bajaur
- Bannu
- Buner
- Chārsadda
- Dera
TheIsmaildistrictsKhan - Khyber
- Kohat
- Kurram
- Lakki
ofMarwat - Lower
Baujar,Dir - Mohmand
- Orakzai
- Peshawar,
Mohmand,includingKhyber,theOrakzai,cityKurram,of Peshawar - Swat
- Tank
- North Waziristan
- Upper
and - Lower
WaziristanSouthinWaziristanKhyber-PakhtunkhwaProvince - the Karakoram
districtsHighwayofbetweenCharsadda,MansehraKohat,andTank,ChilasBannu,viaLakki,Battagram,DeraBeshamIsmailCity,Khan,DasuSwat,BunerLowerupDirtoinKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa - the junction
citywithandthedistrictN15ofPeshawar travelonroad,from the north of the Mardan ringring-road,road, to the edge of ChitraltheCitydistrictofChitral
FCDOprovince, advisesexcluding againstthe allsouthern travelcoast toof Balochistan Province,(see exceptbelow)
The FCDO advises against all but essential travel toto:
ArandutownandroadbetweenMirkhaniandAranduinKhyber-PakhtunkhwaprovincetheBalochistan,Thatdefinedisasthe:themotorwayaswellasthewhichtherunsfromBalochistan/Sindhborder, including the port city of GwadarareasofSindhProvincenorthof,andincluding,thecityofNawabshah
Pakistan-administered
BeforeKashmiryoutravel,checkthe‘Entryrequirements’sectionforPakistan’scurrententryrestrictionsandrequirements.Thesemaychangewithlittlewarning.Monitorthisadviceforthelatestupdatesandstayincontactwithyourtravelprovider.IfyouplantopassthroughanothercountrytoreturntotheUK,checkthetraveladviceforthecountryyou’retransiting.Itismoreimportantthanevertogettravelinsuranceandcheckitprovidessufficientcover.Seetheguidanceagainstonallforeigntravelinsurance.BeforetheCOVIDpandemictherewerenearlyhalfamillionvisitsbyBritishnationalsPakistan.10Mostmilesvisitsaretroublefree.InlateAugust2023,therewerelargedemonstrationsandprotestsinSkardu,GilgitBaltistan.Thereremainsariskprotests,whichcouldturnviolent,androadclosuresthroughoutregion.Gatheringsfourormorepeoplearebannedandthemobilephoneanddatanetworkisdisrupted.Sindh Province
FCDO
PoliticaladvisesralliesagainstandallprotestsbutregularlyessentialtaketravelplaceacrossPakistan.Somemayhaveananti-westerndimensionandcouldturnviolent.Teargascanbeuseddisperseareasprotests.ofAvoidSindhdemonstrations,Provincelargenorthcrowdsofpeoplepoliticalevents.Bealerttolocalnewsand,wherepossible,socialmediaandfollowadviceof Nawabshah.localauthoritiesandyourtourcompany.Ifyoufindyourselfnearprotests,turnawayandmovetoasafeplace.SeeSafetyandsecurityFind
TerroristsareverylikelytotrytocarryattacksaboutinwhyPakistan.FCDOThere’sadvisesaagainsthightravelthreatofterrorism,kidnapandsectarianviolencethroughoutthecountry,includingthemajorcitiesofIslamabad,Rawalpindi,LahoreandKarachi.Foreigners,inparticularwesterners,maybedirectlytargeted.YoushouldtryavoidregionsallcrowdsandpubliceventsincludingpoliticalgatheringsandreligiouseventsthroughoutPakistan,andtakeappropriatesecurityprecautions.Before
DenselyyoupopulatedtravelNo
andtravelunsecuredcanareas,suchasmarkets,shoppingmalls,hotels,restaurants,hikingtrails,airports,infrastructureprojects,publictransport,schoolsandeducationalinstitutionsarepotentialfocalpointsforattacks.Youshouldextrasafe.vigilantReadatalltimesinsuchareasandminimiseyourexposuretoareasthatposeahigherrisk.SeeTerrorismSomeperiodsofyearinmaythisposeguideheightenedasrisks.wellDuringasholysupportperiods/religiousholidays,thereisanincreasedpotentialtargetednationalsattacks,abroadincludingwhichonincludes:westerninterestsandreligiousminorities.- advice
Pakistanoncanpreparingexperienceforextremetravelweather,abroadincludingsevereheatwaves.ThesetypicallyoccurbetweenMarchJune.risks Theextremetemperaturescancausepoorairquality,wildfiresandpowercuts.Youshouldavoidunnecessaryexposuretodirectsunlightandtakeprecautionarymeasures.Moreandwomen,detailedLGBT+guidanceisavailableontheNationalDisasterManagementAuthoritywebsite.Youshouldmonitorthelocalinternationaltravellers
weatherupdatesfromthePakistanMeteorologicalDepartment,followtheadviceoflocalauthoritiesandyourtourcompanybeforetravelling.Follow
ThemonsoonseasoninPakistanisfromlateJunetoearlyOctober.Heavyrainscancausesevereflashfloodinginbothurbanruralareas.Travelinmanypartsofthecountrycanbeseverelyimpacted.SeeNaturaldisastersPakistanisinamajorearthquakezoneandremainsatriskfromfurtherearthquakes,aftershocks,landslidesandflooding.Youshouldfamiliariseyourselfwithsafetyproceduresintheeventofanearthquake.SeeNaturaldisastersCall15tothepolice.Call1122forthefireserviceoranambulance.Servicesmayvaryandwillbemorelimitedoutsidemajorcities.ConsularsupportisseverelylimitedinpartsofPakistanwherethehasonexistingTwitter,adviceFacebookagainstalltravelallYoubutcanessentialalsotravelsign(asupsetoutabove).TheBritishHighCommission’sabilitydeliveremailconsularnotificationsassistance,whenincludingthisinadviceanisemergency,updated.mayberestrictedordelayedintheseareas.Travel
WheninsurancewejudgethelevelofrisktoBritishnationalsinaparticularplacehasbecomeunacceptablyhigh,we’llstateonthetraveladvicepageforthatcountryorterritorythatweadviseagainstallorallbutessentialtravel.ReadmoreabouthowtheFCDOassessesandcategorisesriskinforeigntraveladvice.If
Ourcrisisoverseaspagesuggestsadditionalthingscandobeforeandduringforeigntravelhelpresearchyouyourstaydestinationssafe.IfyouareabroadyouappropriateneedtravelemergencyinsurancehelpfromtheUKgovernment,contactthenearestBritishembassy,consulateorhighcommission.TheInsuranceOverseasshouldBusinesscoverRiskyourserviceitinerary,offersplannedinformationactivities and expensesadviceinforanBritishemergency.companiesoperatingoverseasonhowtomanagepolitical,economic,andbusinesssecurity-relatedrisks.
Update history
2024-11-29 11:21
Removal of information about political demonstrations (‘Warnings and insurance’ page).
2024-11-22 15:10
New information about political demonstrations (‘Warnings and insurance’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages)
2024-06-13 11:34
Updated information on illegal entry to Pakistan, returning to the UK and crime in Karachi (‘Entry Requirements’ and ‘Regional risks’ pages).
2024-01-24 15:17
Removal of information about a reported security threat in sector E8 in Islamabad.
2024-01-22 10:25
Advice to avoid the Margalla Road between E8 and F8 in Islamabad following a security threat in Islamabad (‘Regional risks’ page).
2024-01-18 14:59
Information on tensions at the Pakistan-Iran border including military strikes into the province of Balochistan (‘Regional risks’ page).
2024-01-10 12:09
This travel advice has been rewritten to make it easier to read and understand.
2023-10-31 16:20
FCDO now also advises against all travel to within 10 miles of the border with Afghanistan (‘Summary’ page).
2023-10-25 15:15
Information on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) recently cancelling multiple flights to and from Gilgit and Skardu Airports in the North of Pakistan (‘Summary’ page). Addition of information on a Polio vaccination programme (‘Health’ page).
2023-09-01 19:03
“Update advising against all but essential travel to the region of Gilgit Baltistan due to recent demonstrations and protests in the area (’Summary’ and ‘Local travel’ pages).”
2023-08-29 16:43
Update on monsoon rains (’Summary’, ‘Air travel and ‘Natural disasters’ pages).
2023-07-10 12:20
Removal of requirement for COVID-19 vaccination certificate to enter Pakistan (‘Entry requirements’ page).
2023-06-22 09:46
Information about the global terrorism risks to British nationals abroad on all FCDO travel advice pages.
2023-06-12 16:01
Severe cyclonic storm expected to make landfall between south eastern Sindh and Indian Gujarat (‘Summary’ page).
2023-05-30 13:31
Updated information on healthcare and Ramadan (‘Safety and security’, ‘Local laws and customs’ and ‘Health’ pages).
2023-05-10 10:02
Updated information on public gatherings and disruptions to internet connectivity (‘Summary’ page).
2023-05-09 13:25
Updated information on political rallies and protests (‘Summary’ page).
2023-03-20 12:42
Updated information on political rallies and protests (‘Summary’ page).
2023-01-03 15:37
Updated information about COVID-19 testing for international arrivals (‘Entry Requirements’ page).
2022-12-25 15:29
Addition of information about a possible attack on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad (‘Summary’ page).
2022-12-08 14:46
Addition of information about limits on the movement of foreigners during cricket test matches in Multan (‘Summary’ page).
2022-12-01 11:25
Removal of information about previous protests called in Rawalpindi (‘Summary’ page).
2022-11-25 13:22
Updated information about risks of criminal gangs in northern Sindh and protests called in Rawalpindi (‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages).
2022-11-08 13:57
Updated information on nationwide protests occurring (‘Summary’ page).
2022-10-21 11:28
(Correction) The FCDO continues to advise against all but essential travel to Arandu town and the road between Mirkhani and Arandu in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
2022-10-21 09:33
This advice has been reviewed, with changes made to the Summary and Natural Disasters sections. There are other minor amendments throughout.
2022-09-16 14:02
Removal of Pass Track requirement (‘Entry Requirements’ page).
2022-08-31 09:43
Updated information on severe flooding and landslides (‘Summary’ and ‘Natural disasters’ pages).
2022-08-26 23:15
Updated information of severe flooding and landslides and the England cricket team’s tour to Pakistan in September (See ‘Summary’ and ‘Natural disasters’)
2022-08-04 18:27
Updated information on the death of Ayman al- Zawahiri (‘Summary’ and ‘Terrorism’ pages)
2022-05-25 16:26
Addition of information on political protests in Islamabad (‘Summary’ page)
2022-05-20 14:41
Addition of information and advice on extreme weather, including severe heatwaves (‘Summary’ page)
2022-04-07 14:23
Update to information on COVID-19 entry requirements (‘Entry requirements’)
2022-04-01 18:22
Highlighting possibility of political rallies in the coming days, which may have an anti-Western dimension to them (‘Summary’). Reminder of security advice (‘Safety and security’ and Terrorism’).
2022-02-28 11:08
Removal of PCR testing requirement for vaccinated travellers entering Pakistan (‘Entry requirements’)
2022-02-21 15:39
Update to information on who to call in a medical emergency (‘Health’ page). Structural changes to the ‘Entry requirements’ section.