Pakistan Scraps Free VPA Visas for 34 African Countries, Raising Travel Costs and Barriers
Pakistan has quietly suspended its free Visa Prior to Arrival (VPA) programme, a move that has hit African travellers particularly hard and reversed one of the country’s most Africa-friendly travel policies in recent years.
Effective January 1, 2026, citizens of 34 African countries who previously enjoyed a fast-tracked, zero-fee 90-day multiple-entry visa must now apply through Pakistan’s standard paid e-Visa system. The change introduces new financial costs and additional bureaucratic requirements for African businesspeople, tourists, students and traders who rely on regular travel to South Asia.
The VPA suspension affects a total of 126 countries and territories worldwide that had benefited from the free visa scheme until the end of 2025. These include 34 African countries, 45 European countries, 36 Asian countries, 14 from the Americas, and 2 from Oceania, disrupting travel plans for a broad range of international visitors.
The African countries impacted are Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, a group representing a significant share of Africa’s emerging outbound travel, trade and investment markets.
According to VisaNews, Pakistan has removed the VPA option from its official visa portal, redirecting applicants to the standard e-Visa system, which carries higher fees and stricter documentation requirements. Under the revised system, travellers must now pay visa fees that vary by nationality, including USD 35 for EU citizens and USD 60 for US, Canadian and UK nationals, alongside additional paperwork.
Setback for Pakistan–Africa Relations
The decision marks a notable setback for growing Africa–Pakistan tourism, trade and business ties. For many African travellers, the new requirements include bank statements, invitation letters, and longer processing times, effectively rolling back the ease of access that had supported increased travel over the past two years.
In recent years, more flexible visa policies helped drive travel for trade missions, medical tourism, education, and religious visits, while also enabling Pakistani exporters to strengthen their presence in fast-growing African markets for textiles, pharmaceuticals, rice and manufactured goods.
Africa has become an increasingly important trade frontier for Pakistan, while Pakistan has positioned itself as a cost-competitive hub for goods, services and transit for African traders. As of 2023, Pakistan emerged as Kenya’s largest export market, with Kenyan exports reaching Ksh48.28 billion ($321.4 million) in the first eight months of the year, up 19% from the same period in 2022. This surpassed Kenya’s exports to traditional markets such as the Netherlands and the United States.
Mobility Pressures Mount for African Travellers
The timing of Pakistan’s move comes at a sensitive moment for Africa’s global mobility ambitions. African governments have been pushing for freer movement through initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Union’s visa-free and visa-on-arrival agenda, designed to support trade, tourism and investment across borders.
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Pakistan’s free VPA scheme had aligned with this momentum, offering African entrepreneurs, students and tourists relatively easy access to South Asia. Its suspension now risks slowing people-to-people exchanges just as commercial and diplomatic ties were expanding.
Business hubs such as Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa have seen growing commercial and educational links with Pakistan, while tourism operators in Mauritius, Seychelles and
Morocco warn that higher travel costs could dampen leisure travel. Meanwhile, traders from Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia sourcing textiles and consumer goods from South Asia now face higher entry barriers.
Until Islamabad clarifies whether the suspension is temporary or permanent, African travellers must navigate a more expensive and less predictable visa system, underscoring how fragile global mobility remains for much of the continent, even as economic ties with key partners continue to deep
