Americans to get five-year visas for Pakistan

WASHINGTON: US nationals will now get a five-year, multiple-entry visas to visit Pakistan.

In a note sent in May, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad advised Pakistani diplomatic missions in the United States to follow the new visa policy for American nationals.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs “has the honour to state that the government of Pakistan, in line with its policy to encourage tourism, has allowed granting of multiple-entry visas to US nationals for up to five years with a maximum stay of three months,” the note said.

The recent change in Pakistan visa policy was long sought by the United States.

Earlier, the US used to issue same kind of visa to Pakistani citizens, however it has now altered its policy of issuing five-year, multiple-entry tourist and visit visas to Pakistanis.

Now, the United States is only issuing three-month visas to most Pakistanis and also has enforced new restrictions on official visas.

The new restriction bars some officials of the Interior Ministry from receiving US visas.