Pakistan Visas for UK Travellers: e-Visa, NICOP and POC Explained
Which document you actually need, how long each takes, and why so many British-Pakistani families apply for the wrong one and lose three weeks.
Three documents, one decision
British travellers heading to Pakistan use one of three documents, and picking the right one is almost entirely about whether you or your parents were born Pakistani.
If you have no Pakistani origin, you need a Pakistan e-Visa. If you were born in Pakistan or have Pakistani parents and still hold or are entitled to Pakistani nationality, you should hold a NICOP. If you renounced Pakistani nationality or your connection is a generation further back, the POC is the right card.
The Pakistan e-Visa
The standard tourist route for British passport holders. It is fully online through the government NADRA portal, costs around £6 to £60 depending on the category and validity, and is normally issued in seven to ten working days.
You need a passport valid for at least six months, a digital photograph, proof of accommodation or an invitation, and — for the tourist category — either a hotel booking or a letter from a registered tour operator. We supply that letter and the supporting itinerary for every Pakistan tour we sell.
- Cost: from around £6 for the 3-month single entry, more for longer validity
- Processing: 7–10 working days in normal conditions
- Apply at: the official NADRA visa portal only — several lookalike sites charge far more
NICOP — the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis
If you hold Pakistani nationality alongside your British citizenship, this is your document and it replaces the need for a visa entirely. It is a photo ID card, valid for ten years, and it also gives you the practical benefits of being a Pakistani national on arrival — no visa queue, no restrictions on length of stay, and the ability to buy property.
The application goes through NADRA's UK offices or online. Processing is typically fifteen to twenty working days for the standard service, five to seven for executive, and around forty-eight hours for the urgent category, though timelines move around and the urgent fee is substantial.
The most common mistake we see is a family applying for e-Visas because the NICOP renewal felt like too much hassle, and then discovering at the airport that Pakistani-born travellers cannot enter on a visa in a British passport without complications. Renew the NICOP.
POC — the Pakistan Origin Card
For people of Pakistani origin who no longer hold Pakistani nationality — typically because they renounced it, or because the connection is through a grandparent. It is also available to foreign spouses of Pakistani nationals.
The POC gives visa-free entry and indefinite stay, much like a NICOP, but it does not confer nationality. Processing times are similar to NICOP.
How long should you allow?
For an e-Visa, four weeks before departure is comfortable and two weeks is tight but usually fine. For a first NICOP or POC application, allow eight to ten weeks; for a renewal, four to six.
The genuinely hard deadline is not the visa, it is the summer flights. Islamabad and Lahore routes from the UK sell out from June to August, and prices roughly double after April. If you are travelling in the school holidays, book the flights first and process the documents in parallel.
What we handle
Visa documentation support is included in every Pakistan tour we sell from the UK. We prepare the e-Visa application, supply the tour operator invitation letter and the confirmed itinerary the portal asks for, and advise on whether NICOP or POC is the faster route in your specific case.
What we cannot do is submit a NICOP or POC on your behalf — those are biometric applications that require you in person at a NADRA centre. We can tell you which centre has the shortest current wait, which is often worth an hour's drive.
Questions we get asked
Do I need a visa for Pakistan if I have a NICOP?
No. A valid NICOP or POC gives visa-free entry to Pakistan and there is no restriction on how long you can stay. This is why we always check which document a dual-national family holds before starting a visa application.
Can I travel to Pakistan on my British passport if I was born in Pakistan?
You can, but you should hold a NICOP or POC alongside it. Pakistani-born British citizens entering on a visa alone frequently encounter questions at immigration, and the process is simply smoother with the correct card.
How much does the Pakistan e-Visa cost for British citizens?
Fees start at around £6 for a three-month single-entry tourist visa and rise with validity and entry type. The official portal shows current fees; avoid third-party sites that charge a service premium on top.
Do I need a separate permit for Gilgit-Baltistan?
For most nationalities, no — the standard Hunza, Skardu and Khunjerab routes need no additional permit. Some border-adjacent areas and the Neelum valley in Azad Kashmir do require a No Objection Certificate for foreign nationals, which takes around three weeks.
