# Visa on arrival for Chinese tourists at Khunjerab: Hunza and Nagar first, then all of GB

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/lifestyle/visa-on-arrival-for-chinese-tourists-at-khunjerab-hunza-and-nagar-first-then-all)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 22 Sept 2026
Updated: 25 Sept 2026
Retrieved: 30 Sept 2026

> The proposal went to the PM's office after the 15 September SIFC meeting. Foreign affairs has no objection in principle, interior wants the highest-level sign-off.

Chinese visitors could get a visa on arrival at the Khunjerab Pass under a proposal now with the prime minister's office, following a Special Investment Facilitation Council meeting on 15 September.

Phase one would cover Hunza and Nagar districts only. If it works, phase two extends it to all of Gilgit-Baltistan.

## Who is behind it

The Gilgit-Baltistan home and tourism departments, the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, the ministries of inter-provincial coordination, interior and foreign affairs, the Pakistan Association of Tour Operators and FPCCI delegates including adviser Raja Nazimul Amin all took part in the discussions.

The foreign affairs ministry has no objection in principle, subject to security clearance. The interior ministry is the hurdle: visa on arrival was suspended for every country on security grounds, so restoring it even for one nationality at one crossing needs approval at the highest level. The GB government has undertaken to provide the security arrangements.

## The NOC bottleneck

The more immediately useful part of the proposal is administrative. Today a foreign visitor heading into parts of GB needs a no-objection certificate obtained through a multi-step police clearance. The plan is a single online NOC portal at Sost, the border town on the Karakoram Highway below Khunjerab, replacing the paper chain.

Anyone who has taken a group through Sost knows the NOC step is where a two-day trip becomes a four-day trip.

## Why now

Stakeholders argued the change could generate billions of dollars of economic activity, and said the tourism downturn has hit local businesses hard. Khunjerab is the highest paved border crossing in the world at 4,693 metres and it closes for winter, so the practical window each year runs from around April to late November. A decision that lands in October is a decision for the 2027 season, not this one.

## For Pakistani travellers

Nothing in this proposal changes the rules for Pakistanis going the other way into Xinjiang, which still needs a Chinese visa obtained in advance.

If you are driving up the Karakoram Highway this autumn, Gilgit is roughly 600km from Islamabad and diesel is at Rs 422.08 a litre. Work out the round trip on the [fuel cost calculator](/tools/cars/fuel-cost-calculator), and check the current pump price on the [petrol price page](/data/petrol-price).

## Frequently asked questions

**Is visa on arrival available at Khunjerab Pass?**

Not yet. A proposal to give Chinese visitors visa on arrival at Khunjerab, covering Hunza and Nagar in the first phase, is with the prime minister's office after a SIFC meeting on 15 September 2026. Visa on arrival remains suspended for all countries on security grounds.

**Do foreign tourists need an NOC for Gilgit-Baltistan?**

Yes, for restricted areas, obtained through a multi-step police clearance. The proposal under review would replace it with a single online NOC portal at Sost.

## Sources

- Chinese visitors to Gilgit-Baltistan may get visa on arrival (Dawn): https://www.dawn.com/news/2031740/chinese-visitors-to-gilgit-baltistan-may-get-visa-on-arrival

How to cite: "Visa on arrival for Chinese tourists at Khunjerab: Hunza and Nagar first, then all of GB", Searchable, 25 Sept 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/lifestyle/visa-on-arrival-for-chinese-tourists-at-khunjerab-hunza-and-nagar-first-then-all