Before making any travel arrangements especially if travelling to another country its always best to check your travel documentation is valid and you have obtained all the relevant information from a travel agent.
Travelling to Pakistan? do you need a visa?
The answer is simply YES in most cases unless you have a valid Pakistani passport. If travelling to Pakistan you will either need a visitor visa or a NICOP card if you are eligible normally available to Pakistani’s holding dual nationalities.
A Pakistani visa is valid for a maximum 3 months from the date of the visa being granted therefore you must ensure you leave the country before the expiry date of your visa, failure to leave the country prior to the expiry date of your visa you may find that you will not be allowed to leave the country without having obtained an extended visa or a registration at a local police station.
There have been numerous cases where passengers leaving Pakistan have encountered a major problem whereby they have been refused boarding and sent home despite having demanded and escalated there concerns to more senior immigration officials at the airports. Most travelers are under the impression they will simply be let out of the country with an expired visa or a NICOP also known as NADRA card. Apparently this is not the case with the Pakistani officials any longer, if your planning on using the following in your defense ” you should deport me back home and let me on this flight” you may be surprised it may not work and you will be turned away although this MAY partly depend on how much you could afford to pay in penalties!!! (similar to a bribe).
It is strongly advised if you are thinking of travelling to Pakistan that you check your documentation carefully and meticulously as any error can cost you severely, if your turned away at the airport for such reasons you may need to purchase a new ticket or pay noshow fees if applicable, not all airlines allow date changes if you are denied boarding although recently most airlines flying into Pakistan do allow for changes in such circumstances with hefty penalties known as “no show” charges. The term noshow is used by airlines in almost every case i.e if you do not board your flight whether you have turned up at the airport checkin counters or not, this term comes to the defense of most airlines when collecting noshow charges, as unfair as it may seem to the common traveler it is the bitter truth and there is currently no alternative!.