International Travel Checklist for Pakistani Travellers

Whether it is your first international trip or your fifteenth, the same handful of things go wrong. This checklist covers them.

Documents

• Passport validity. Most countries require at least six months beyond your intended departure. Check this before booking, not before flying.
• Blank pages. Several destinations require two or more.
• Visa. Print it, and save a copy to your phone and cloud storage.
• Return ticket. Many immigration authorities ask for proof of onward travel on arrival.
• Hotel confirmations. Carry them; you may be asked at immigration.
• Travel insurance. Mandatory for Schengen, sensible everywhere. See our insurance page.
• Vaccination certificates where required for your destination.
• Copies. Photograph everything and store it separately from the originals.

Money

• Carry a mix of cash and card; some destinations are card-light.
• Exchange in the city rather than at the airport, where rates are worst.
• Notify your bank so cards are not blocked for unusual activity.
• Be aware of currency declaration limits when leaving Pakistan and entering your destination.
• Divide cash between two places rather than carrying it all in one wallet.

At the airport in Pakistan

Arrive three hours before an international departure. You will pass through:

1. Entry screening — ticket and passport checked at the terminal door.
2. Check-in — baggage weighed and tagged, boarding pass issued.
3. Immigration — passport, visa and, for pilgrims, vaccination documentation checked.
4. Security — hand baggage screening.
5. Boarding — gates typically close well before departure.

For Hajj and Umrah travellers, vaccination documentation is checked here. Travellers have been stopped at this stage for missing digital vaccination records — see our vaccination guide.

Baggage

• Check the allowance for both legs — they often differ, especially on codeshares.
• Weigh your bags at home. Excess baggage charged at the counter is expensive.
• Keep medication, documents, valuables and one change of clothes in hand baggage.
• Liquids in hand baggage are limited to 100ml containers in a clear bag.
• Power banks must go in hand baggage, never in checked luggage.
• Label bags inside and out.

Connectivity

• Enable international roaming or, better, buy a local SIM or eSIM on arrival.
• Download offline maps before you travel.
• Save your hotel's address in the local script — invaluable with taxi drivers.
• Carry a power bank and a universal adapter.
• Save emergency numbers: your insurer, the Pakistani mission at your destination, and our WhatsApp line.

Health

• Carry medication in original packaging with the prescription.
• Check whether any of your medication is restricted at your destination — some common medicines are controlled in the Gulf.
• Pack a basic kit: paracetamol, rehydration salts, plasters, antiseptic.
• Know what your insurance covers and how to contact the assistance line.

On arrival

• Complete any arrival card while still on the aircraft.
• Have your hotel address and return ticket accessible for immigration.
• Use official taxi ranks or pre-booked transfers rather than touts.
• Keep your passport secure and carry a copy for daily use where local rules allow.

Before you go

Tell someone at home your itinerary, leave copies of your documents with family, and make sure someone can reach you. It costs nothing and matters enormously on the rare occasion something goes wrong.