Pakistan scraps free VPA visas for 34 African countries as travel costs and barriers rise

From January 1, 2026, African nationals who previously enjoyed a fast-tracked, zero-fee 90-day multiple-entry visa must now apply through Pakistan’s standard paid e-Visa system, a shift that adds new financial and bureaucratic hurdles for businesspeople, tourists and students across the continent.

The suspension of Pakistan’s “Visa Prior to Arrival” (VPA) program affects a total of 126 countries and territories that had previously benefited from a free, fast-tracked visa until the end of 2025.

The affected countries include 34 from Africa, 45 from Europe, 36 from Asia, 14 from the Americas, and 2 from Oceania, disrupting travel plans for a broad range of international visitors.

The affected African countries are Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, the 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 that collectively represents a large share of Africa’s emerging outbound travel and trade markets.

According to VisaNews, Pakistan has removed the VPA option from its official visa portal, redirecting applicants to the standard e-Visa system with higher fees and stricter requirements.

Travellers from affected African countries must now pay for a standard e-Visa, with fees varying by nationality - USD 35 for EU citizens and USD 60 for US, Canadian, and UK nationals.

Pakistan-Africa relations

Pakistan’s decision to scrap free Visa on Arrival (VoA) access for citizens of 34 African countries marks a setback for growing Africa–Pakistan tourism and business ties.

For many Africans, this means submitting bank statements, invitation letters and longer processing times, effectively reversing one of Pakistan’s most Africa-friendly travel policies in recent years.

In recent years, easier visa regimes had supported rising travel for trade missions, medical tourism, education, and religious visits, while helping Pakistani exporters tap into fast-growing African markets for textiles, pharmaceuticals, rice, and manufactured goods.

As of 2023, Pakistan was Kenya’s biggest export market. In the first eight months, Kenya exported goods worth Ksh48.28 billion ($321.4 million) to Pakistan, up 19% from Ksh40.47 billion ($269.4 million) in the same period in 2022.

By comparison, exports to the Netherlands and the US were Ksh43.94 billion ($292.5 million) and Ksh42.89 billion ($285.6 million), respectively.

Africa, with its expanding consumer base and strategic ports, has been an increasingly important trade frontier for Pakistan, while Pakistan serves as a cost-competitive hub for goods, services, and transit for African traders.

The tightening of visa access now raises costs and friction for travelers on both sides, potentially slowing people-to-people exchanges that underpin broader economic cooperation between the two regions.

How Africa’s growing global mobility is being squeezed

The timing of Pakistan’s decision is awkward for Africa. In recent years, African governments have pushed for greater mobility through initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area and the African Union’s visa-free and visa-on-arrival agenda, aimed at easing movement for trade, investment and tourism.

Pakistan’s free VPA scheme had aligned with that momentum, giving African entrepreneurs, students and tourists relatively easy access to South Asia. Its removal now risks slowing people-to-people exchanges just as trade 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 higher costs could dampen leisure travel.

Traders from Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia sourcing textiles and consumer goods from South Asia also face higher entry barriers.

Until Islamabad clarifies whether the move is temporary or permanent, African travellers must navigate a more expensive and less predictable system which further highlights how fragile global mobility remains for much of the continent despite deeper economic ties.