And plans to triple the number of questions in the questionnaire
The simplification of visa procedures for citizens of 126 countries, including Russia, was announced by the Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting of Pakistan Attaullah Tarar during a press conference in Islamabad. According to him, this “will significantly reduce the bureaucracy and delays that previously prevented the arrival of travelers.” E-Visa fees for visitors from 126 countries have been canceled from August 14, and the application process will be significantly simplified. For these countries, a visa will be issued free of charge for both tourist and business purposes. At the same time, a 90-day visa will be issued within 24 hours. The country’s authorities also plan to reduce the number of items in the e–visa application form – it will contain 30 questions instead of 100. Citizens of the Persian Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar) will be able to obtain visas upon arrival in Pakistan. Before that, Russians had to pay $35 for a visa to Pakistan and wait from 7 to 10 days.The Minister also spoke about the introduction of a new online visa application form, which contains only 30 questions compared to almost a hundred previously. According to the Prime Minister of the republic, Shehbaz Sharif, the innovation is designed to solve several tasks at once. Firstly, to significantly reduce bureaucratic formalities and financial costs for foreigners, which prevented the growth of tourist flow to the Islamic Republic. Secondly, to show the world community that Pakistan is taking a long-term course for the development of tourism. Note that there are no direct flights from Russia to Pakistan, but there are connecting options.
