Pakistan Visa for UAE Residents: Online Visa, Fees and Who Needs One

The short answer: almost every UAE resident applies for a Pakistan visa online, before travel, on the government's Pakistan Online Visa System at visa.nadra.gov.pk. The portal lists 192 nationalities as eligible, the UAE, the UK, the US, the Philippines, Egypt, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka among them. Its fee calculator puts a tourist visa of under three months at USD 8.18 for an Emirati, USD 25 for Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan passports, and USD 60 for British and American passports, single entry. Pakistan's missions give 7 to 10 working days to process. Indian nationals are not on the online list: Pakistan's embassy in Abu Dhabi handles them separately, and since April 2025 Pakistan has cancelled visas for Indians under the SAARC exemption scheme. Nepali passports need no visa for a month. People of Pakistani origin with another passport may use a POC or NICOP card instead of a visa.

Pakistan is a short flight from every UAE airport, for family visits, weddings and business, and for Lahore's Mughal monuments and the mountain valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan. Here is what each passport needs, and what the portal charges, as read on Pakistan's own government pages in October 2026.

Pakistan visa for UAE residents at a glance

Question	Answer (October 2026)
How to apply	Online at visa.nadra.gov.pk, before travel
Who can apply online	192 nationalities on the portal's list, including the UAE, UK, US, Philippines, Egypt, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Tourist visa fee, under 3 months, single entry	Emirati USD 8.18; Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan USD 25; British, American USD 60
Multiple entry, up to 1 year	Emirati USD 8.18; the four above USD 37.50; British, American USD 90
Processing	7 to 10 working days (Pakistan's missions)
Payment	Mastercard or Visa, online with the application
Passport validity	At least six months from the date of the visa application (UK government advice)
Nepali passports	No visa for one month (visa abolition list)
Indian nationals	Not on the online list; ask the embassy in Abu Dhabi
Pakistani origin, foreign passport	A POC or NICOP from NADRA instead of a visa

Who applies online

The Abu Dhabi embassy's visa page splits applicants in two: "Visas for other than Indian and Somali Nationals are processed online", through the Pakistan Online Visa System. The portal's own list, "Countries eligible for Pakistan Online Visa", names 192 nationalities. It includes the UAE, the other GCC states, the UK, the US, the Philippines, Egypt, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, which covers most of the UAE's large expat communities. Pakistan's consulate in Jeddah says it stopped processing visas by hand on 1 February 2021, except for Indian and Somali nationals.

The portal's visa abolition list names the passports that need no visa. Most entries cover only diplomatic and official passports, the UAE's among them, so Emiratis on ordinary passports apply online like everyone else. Two countries are exempt for all their nationals: Nepal, for one month, and the Maldives, for three months.

Fees

The portal's fee calculator works out the fee by visa category, length, entry type and country. For a tourist or visit visa of less than three months, it gave these totals on 9 October 2026:

Passport	Single entry	Multiple entry, up to 1 year
United Arab Emirates	USD 8.18	USD 8.18
Philippines, Egypt, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka	USD 25	USD 37.50
United Kingdom, United States	USD 60	USD 90

Other nationalities and longer visas cost different amounts, so run the calculator on the portal's Visa Fees page for your own passport. The fee is paid by Mastercard or Visa card as part of the application, and the portal shows it before you pay.

How to apply

1. Go to visa.nadra.gov.pk and nowhere else. The portal warns that applications can only be submitted there, that it has no partner websites, and that the government takes no responsibility for payments made on any other site.
2. Register and choose the category: tourist or visit, family visit, business and others each have their own options.
3. Fill in the form and upload your documents: the portal has guides for the photo and document uploads.
4. Pay the fee by card.
5. Wait for the decision. Pakistan's missions give 7 to 10 working days, so apply at least three weeks before you fly.
6. Print the document you receive and carry it with your passport.

The portal's FAQ explains the two documents it can issue. A Visa Grant Notice is the visa itself. An Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), issued for visa-on-arrival categories such as the business visa on arrival, "is NOT the Visa": it lets you travel and then ask for the visa at the Federal Investigation Agency's counter on arrival.

At the border

• Passport: UK government advice asks for at least six months' validity from the date of your visa application.
• Entry stamp: the same advice says to make sure your passport is stamped on entry, since leaving without an entry stamp is difficult.
• Length of stay: the portal's terms say your stay counts from the date you arrive, not the date the visa was issued.
• Police registration: the portal's terms exempt most foreigners, but list nationals of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Israel, Nigeria and Somalia as needing to register with the police.

Indian nationals in the UAE

Indian passports are not on the portal's online list. The Abu Dhabi embassy's page keeps a separate set of "Visa Requirements for Indian Nationals" with a paper application form, handled at the embassy.

Pakistan's foreign ministry also said at its weekly press briefing on 25 April 2025 that Pakistan "suspends all visas under SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) issued to Indian nationals and deems them cancelled with immediate effect, with the exception of Sikh religious pilgrims". If you hold an Indian passport, call the embassy in Abu Dhabi or the consulate in Dubai before you plan anything, and do not book travel until a visa is in hand.

Pakistani origin: POC and NICOP

If you were born Pakistani, or your parents were, and you now travel on another passport, you may not need a visa at all. NADRA, Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority, issues two cards, both applied for online through its Pak Identity service:

• Pakistan Origin Card (POC): for people of Pakistani origin who have given up Pakistani nationality. Under the POC Rules 2002, as Pakistan's mission pages set them out, a holder gets visa-free entry and an "indefinite stay in Pakistan with exemption from reporting to police or foreigners' registration offices", along with the right to own property and open bank accounts.
• NICOP: the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis, the identity card for Pakistanis living abroad.

Apply for either card through NADRA well before you travel.

Areas to avoid

The UK government's travel advice, updated in September 2026, advises against all travel to Balochistan province, to within 10 miles of the Afghanistan border and of the Line of Control, and to a long list of districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar city, Swat and the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas. It advises against all but essential travel to Azad Jammu and Kashmir, to within 5 miles of the India border, and to further areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh. Read the current list before you plan a route outside the main cities, and check that your travel insurance covers where you are going.

Flights from the UAE

Emirates, flydubai, Etihad and Air Arabia fly from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah to Pakistan's main cities, including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, and to several smaller cities. Check the airlines' own timetables for your city and dates.

Frequently asked questions

Do UAE residents need a visa for Pakistan?

Yes, unless you hold a Pakistani passport, a POC or a NICOP, or a Nepali or Maldivian passport. Almost every nationality applies online at visa.nadra.gov.pk before travel. Indian nationals are not on the online list and should ask the embassy in Abu Dhabi.

How much is a Pakistan tourist visa from Dubai?

It depends on your passport. The portal's fee calculator gives USD 8.18 for an Emirati, USD 25 for Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan passports, and USD 60 for British and American passports, for a single-entry tourist visa of under three months.

Do Emiratis need a visa for Pakistan?

Yes, on an ordinary passport. Emiratis apply online like other nationalities, for a tourist visa fee of USD 8.18 on the portal's calculator. Pakistan's visa abolition list exempts only UAE diplomatic and official passports.

How long does a Pakistan visa take?

Pakistan's missions give 7 to 10 working days once the application is complete, so apply at least three weeks before you travel.

Can Indians in the UAE get a Pakistan visa?

Indian passports are not on the online visa list. The embassy in Abu Dhabi keeps a separate paper process, and in April 2025 Pakistan cancelled visas for Indians under the SAARC exemption scheme, except for Sikh pilgrims. Confirm the position with the embassy first.

What is the difference between a POC and a NICOP?

A POC is for people of Pakistani origin who have given up Pakistani nationality, and gives visa-free entry with an indefinite stay. A NICOP is the identity card for Pakistanis living abroad. Both come from NADRA, online.

Planning a trip to Pakistan

Once the visa is in hand, browse our holiday packages or talk to us about flights and hotels. Our visa services cover other destinations if Pakistan is one stop on a longer trip.

Related guides

• UAE visit visa for Pakistanis
• India visa from Dubai
• Sri Lanka visa for UAE residents
• Nepal visa for UAE residents

Last checked 9 October 2026 against the Pakistan Online Visa System (visa.nadra.gov.pk): its fee calculator, list of countries eligible for the online visa, visa abolition list, FAQs and important terms; the visa and NADRA services pages of Pakistan's missions on mofa.gov.pk, including Abu Dhabi and Jeddah; Pakistan's foreign ministry press briefing of 25 April 2025; and the UK government's travel advice for Pakistan. This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm the current requirements on visa.nadra.gov.pk or with Pakistan's embassy in Abu Dhabi before you travel.