Visas to Pakistan

Visa types – As the Department of State freely acknowledges, tourist opportunities are limited in Pakistan. Visa applicants are encouraged to stick to metropolitan areas in order to maintain a greater likelihood of staying within established tourist areas.

In applying for visas to Pakistan as part of a purposeful temporary "holiday", petitioners must indicate on the form submitted to the embassy or consulate the reason for their trip, namely if it is designed to be a visit to family, a mountain exploration trek, or a journey of religious (i.e. pilgrimage) or historical (i.e. visit to a sanctioned historical site) merit. Otherwise, the principal reason most non-governmental travelers will be contemplating acquisition of a visa is to do business

Traveling within Pakistan – While visas are reliable methods of international travel, intrastate commerce is decidedly dangerous in Pakistan.

Visa holders are encouraged to avoid public transportation whenever possible (U.S. government representatives are expressly forbidden to use it, in fact), are advised to stay away from hotels where security is suspect, and are requested to have a family member or friend as a close point of contact to affirm they are sticking to their itinerary and have not been attacked.