Pakistan is hands down one of my favourite countries to go backpacking in the world, unfortunately, this is a country with fairly strict visa rules and you almost always need a Letter Of Invitation (LOI) to apply for a Pakistan tourist visa.
Although it remains the decision of the individual embassy at which you apply; some are more liberal than others, it is almost certain you will be required to submit a Letter Of Invitation as part of your visa application to visit Pakistan as a tourist, so be prepared.
First up, a letter of invitation to Pakistan can only officially be issued by a registered tour company within Pakistan.
If you book a tour, an LOI will be included in the cost, but for all my fellow solo backpackers out there, you’ll have to pay for one.
Luckily, there are numerous companies issuing letters to solo travellers – but in some cases, are charging a fee as high as one hundred euros per person. That said, there may be hope for you yet. Read on for everything you need to know about getting a Letter of Invitation for Pakistan.
*Updated May 2024*
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Conditions for LOI Issue
- Please note that LOIs will only be issued for the purposes of tourism in Pakistan. If you are visiting Pakistan to visit a boyfriend, to work on a charity project, or to do anything other than tourism you will need an invitation written by that person/organization.
- No business or private visa support is possible with the below companies. Their services are for tourist visas only.
- No LOI is possible for Indian citizens for tourism at this time. As of 2024, travellers of Indian descent who hold Western nationalities have been able to obtain visas though.
If you need a letter of invitation to Pakistan, these are the four best options that I know of…
- Contact Alex from Lost With Purpose to get one for a fee of $50. She also runs numerous tours that include them.
- Book a tour with Samantha at Intentional Detours, or contact her as she lives in Pakistan and has many local contacts.
- Book a full or partial tour with Lizzy and Shah at Karakoram Bikers.
- You can contact Adventure Planners and get an LOI for a fee of $75 without booking a tour. They do require that you book a night at their hostel, Backpackers Islamabad or rent a motorbike from them though.
You can pay for your LOI from all of the above using Wise or a direct bank transfer.
Buying an LOI Without Booking a Tour
Luckily, as of 2024, you can find numerous companies that are keen to let you pay for an LOI without booking a tour.
My friend and fellow adventurer Alex Reynolds from Lost With Purpose offers them for the cheapest price at our friends at just $50, or $90 for two. Alex and her local partner also run an awesome hostel in Islamabad called Coyote Den, where you can meet other backpackers and rent some hand-painted motorbikes.
As is standard practice, you’ll have to provide some basic details about your itinerary, and of course your passport information and other demographic details. You’ll then be issued the actual letter, a government ID card, and the official government registration certificate from the company.
Adventure Planners can also sort you out. Please contact our good friend Haris Ali Shah for the details regarding purchasing a Letter of Invitation without booking a tour. As mentioned, the cost is $75 USD.
Contact Haris via Whatsapp @ +92 332 9072922 for your LOI needs.
They do offer free LOI’s if you book an actual tour with them as well. Other Adventure Planners services include motorbike rentals for epic Karakoram Highway journeys! Broke Backpacker readers can get a 10% discount on motorbikes or a tour by mentioning our website.
Photo: Karakoram Bikers
In addition, they also own and operate two backpacker hostels; one is in Islamabad (Backpackers Hostel Islamabad) and one is in Minapin (Backpackers Hostel Minapin).
When you reach out to Adventure Planners don’t forget to mention that the Broke Backpacker sent you as they may be able to offer you a special discount! Good luck indy backpackers!!
Another option is to contact our friends at Karakoram Bikers. It’s possible to get the LOI and a short Lahore (or Gilgit) tour from Karakoram Bikers for $125 USD. Their Food on Foot tour in the Old City of Lahore is very well-loved and travellers genuinely feel they get more than their money’s worth.
Please leave a review of your experience getting your Pakistan letter of invitation in the comments below.
Hi I’m from usa and waiting on my passport and then applying for a visa to Pakistan for 3 weeks how do I go about getting a sponsor letter
Hello Elisia – email us at contact@epicbackpackertours.com (we are a partner company of The Broke Backpacker) – we can get you an LOI for a charge if you are not planning on doing an organized tour :).
Hey! Question:
I want to spend a month in Pakistan, with some time in Islamabad and then some time in Gwadar. The only way to get to Gwadar is flying in to their airport. The problem is I have no idea whether the staff at Gwadar Intl will accept my e-visa, info, etc….you never know. So I plan to ask at Islamabad airport once I land.
If I go off my itinerary by FLYING to another city in Pakistan, will I get stopped at their airport for not having any LOI in their city?
If you have the visa, nobody will ask to see a LOI.
Thanks for being so helpful! Hope it works once I get there
Hello bro
I have phillipine girlfriend I want to invite her but now she is in Qatar so how can I invite her her nationality is phillipine
Hi Ismail
We are not experts on the intricacies of the Pakistani Visa process and are not comfortable advising you about this.
She could try contacting the Pakistani consulate in Qatar and see what they say.
Regards
Aiden
Where are you traveling from? They just change the rules for visas. Call the embassy.
Hi. Thanks for the great information. I will be receiving an LOI from my friend and staying at their house for the entirety of my trip to Pakistan. I have booked my ticket for the first week of March and will be applying for my visa in the coming week. I am concerned that I will only have 4 weeks before my flight to receive the visa. Do you think I will receive my visa on time? Is there a way to expedite the visa process? Would applying for my visa in person make it a faster process versus mailing my application?
There’s no way I can advise on this.. it varies on a case by case, and embassy by embassy, basis.
Hi
I am thinking abt visiting Pakistan next June.
I would like to join a local tour to visit Fairy Meadows and do some hiking.
After reading the posts I understand I need a visa and to get the visa I need an Loi.
I assume the tour company will be able to send me the Loi???.
Also, after the tour I want to visit Lahore and Multan on my own.
Is it possible?
Can you recommend a cheap enough tour to FM?
Should U book the tour now or will it be ok when I reach Islamabad?
Thx fr ur help
Yes, you will need an LOI to visit Pakistan at the moment and, yes, a tour company can provide you with said LOI.
Once you’re in Pakistan, you are not restricted to staying with your tour organizer though and can explore. You’ll just need to make sure that where you’re going is safe beforehand.
Shameless promotion now: our partner company Epic Backpacker Tours offers excellent tours and at very competitive prices. They visit Fairy Meadows so I suggest you look into them 🙂
Hello! Firstly I would love to thank you a lot for all of the information and experience you are sharing! I am planning my trip to Pakistan in the next few months. In my country an invitation letter is required only for the visit visa and from my embassy they say it would take more time to get the visa. But for a tourist one only a flight itinerary and a hotell reservation are asked. My question is do I have to actually register in the booked hotel, is anyone going to check or I can easily cancel it after getting the visa. Because I have a friend with whom I can travel around and stay, but I prefer the faster way of receiving the visa. I hope I was very confusing and you will be able to respond to me. Thank you!
Hey Emma, you could provide a hotel booking without actually staying there – book on Agoda and then cancel it. However, I’ll be really surprised if you can get a visa without an LOI.
Yes, you need to provide hotel booking when submitting for the Visa be careful of canceling the booking. When I arrived in Pakistan the immigration officers that stamped my visa asked to see my hotel reservation I was unaware that I would have to show them luckily I had it on an email.
I traveled there from Nov. 27, 2018 -Dec 12, 2018, and it was an amazing trip. I will be back for sure.
Congrats! Good luck. Just google examples of LOI. You just need to include your information, where she will be staying, the dates she will be visiting and that you are taking responsibility during her stay. Also submit with copies of proper ID as well. They called my LOI person and asked a few questions. I was approved and recieved my visa with in three weeks of submitting all the correct information.
Hello Ronda I am from Islamabad Pakistan.Its great to know you are planning your trip of Pakistan..I am inviting my fiancee here and we are planning to getting married over here. I need to send her LOI and I am bit confused here that do I need any kind of attestation or I just simply need to type a LOI explaining our relationship and send to her with my ID card and Passport photocopy. I know I am here in Pakistan and asking you but as I read you are already under the same process. So you may have some better info.
Thanks
Scanned copy is fine I called the consulate and asked that question.
Hello Ronda I am from Pakistan and having my fiancee in US. I need to send her invitation letter to visit me here and we may get married here in Pakistan. Please do suggest me about LOI. Do I need to simply type the LOI and send her with ID and Passport photocopy or I need to get it attested from any authority first from here. I know its bit awkward as I am local guy and asking you this question but as you are already in this process so you may have some better knowledge.
Thanks!
Nomi Ahmed
Hi there, for the LOI does it has to be original LOI means originally signed LOI or just a scan copy is fine? TIA
Scan should be fine
Hey Will – thanks so much for all of your info on travelling in Pakistan; I’m pretty much set on it being my first destination next year (largely thanks to your writing).
I am looking to apply for an LOI and visa. Any idea whether there could be complications as a result of regular visits to India? I have about 4 entry stamps per year (on a 5 year tourist visa). I’m a British citizen.
Thanks!
You shouldn’t run into issues on account of Indian stamps 🙂
Dominic, given the current situation, PK embassy would definitely give a serious thought (I mean really serious thought) before issuing visa to such cases. If you are a British citizen of Indian origin, don’t try.
Disagree. We’ve had British citizens of Indian origin be approved. Your info is incorrect.
OK let him try and share the result here….
Can you do the same for an Indian? I am an Indian and long wish to visit Pakistan.
Not possible, sorry.
I just recently send a LOI to my Australian friend. We met just 10 days ago on couch surfing app i checked his review,social media and travelling history so i send him letter of invitation and he got visa . Best way to get LOI is to make a friend on couch surfing app before coming they will send you LOI. Minimum i will send that after verifying they are travelling for tourism and they also traveled in different countries.
What was the process to send LOI? My PK friend is saying it’s difficult to get LOI in Pakistan for me.
It IS hard to get LOIs because LOIs mean that the person who issued it is assuming responsibility for you – that is why 95% of people opt to get LOIs through a tour provider.
In a separate post you spoke about getting around northern pakistan with Rehman.
Can he issue invitation letters?
If not, what are the risks associated with obtaining a letter from a tour company but going off with Rehman?
Rehman cannot currently issue LOIs, the risk of getting an lOI then going off with Rehman is minimal 🙂
You do not need a LOI from a tourist company. Any Pakistani (a PK citizen with a valid ID residing in Pakistan) can send you an invitation letter. They just need to be honest about the nature of the relation they have with you. For example, a very common scenario: You met a Pakistani online, became friends or romantically-involved and now you’ve decided to visit them, they can either volunteer this information in the invitation letter Or hold it back and answer questions about the same when the embassy reaches out to them, to confirm the invitation. But eventually, they will be asked about their relationship with you, so they might as well be upfront about it.
The Process:
1) Ask your Pakistani friend to email you a signed and dated scan of the LOI addressed to the PK embassy. It must bear their name, signature and contact information (phone as well as email).
2) Print the LOI and send it to the embassy as part of your visa application packet.
3) The embassy will reach out to your friend in Pakistan to confirm the information in the invitation letter. This could be a phone call, but more often than not, its a simple email conversation.
4) You’re done!
Understand that the LOI gives you certain rights over your Pakistani friend while you are in Pakistan. This includes your safety, boarding, lodging and medical. I would highly recommend that you live with your friend instead of in a hotel. This gives you an opportunity to experience the society up-close. No, you won’t be a burden. It is socially acceptable to live at friends and relatives homes for log periods of time, especially if you’re a traveler. You may contribute to their home to make it easy for them, like buy groceries now and then or help with chores. Your friend is the best person to show you all the hot spots in the area. They’ll also be invaluable when it comes to your interaction with the society at social gathering, parties and market places. Plus they can get you access to events and places that would otherwise be impossible.
Note that Pakistan doesn’t issue tourist visas for Indian passport (this might change with the new government) and no visas at all for Israeli passport holders.
Yes this is true but many people want to visit Pakistan and either don’t have a friend in-country or don’t want to spend their whole time hanging out at one persons house…
Where does my PK friend need to go to get LOI for me?
Thanks.
Ronda, your friend does not need to go anywhere to get the LOI. The LOI is simply a letter that your friend him/her self will write at home, sign it and then email a scanned copy of it to you. You will print it at your end and send it in as part of your visa application packet. In the letter, your friend will simply tell the Pakistani Embassy to let you visit Pakistan and that your friend will be responsible for your well-being while you are there. I hope that makes sense. If you need detailed answers, I would suggest you call the Pakistani Embassy that serves your area. They’re usually very helpful and will explain the process to you in much more detail then I can in this one comment.
Hello, I and my team are from US, we’re willing to book a tour in order to get the LOIs, however do we have to stick with the tour itinerary or we can travel to wherever we want as soon as we arrive at Pakistan ?
thank you for all the information here. I filled out the form and am waiting to get contacted back so I can get a LOI for a visit to Lahore for a couple of days in April.
Did you ever get your LOI?
Hello,
I have a place to stay, friend’s house, what she need put on the invitation letter?
Don’t get a LOI from a friend – it can complicate things.
Why is that? I go for a friend’s wedding, I called the embassy in Bern (I live in Switzerland) the other day and they didn’t say it would be a problem.
Kasia, Pakistani embassy policies vary on a country by country basis – plus they change frequently. This is free info, do your own research.
Hi, at the risk of sounding ignorant – do the Karakoram Bikers count as a “tour operator”? How much does it cost to get a LOI from them?
Yes they do and it’s around $80 although that may have changed.
http://www.pakhc.or.ke/visas.html
Requirements for kenyans. I don’t see loi as requirement.
Fyi to kenyan readers 🙂
Hello,I would like to know If I need a visa for 90 days, is it possible to describe in the letter of invitation (LOI) the time of stay or an itinerary that helps me to obtain the visa for 90 days.? thanks for your help.
Hey there, the standard visa is 30 days – you can extend easily in country though.
Sadly, no LOI for Indians. I am interested to visit Pakistan and had been waiting for some opportunity. I had become hopeful but disappointment again !
Will, is there any way for me (Indian) to visit Pakistan ?
Unfortunately, it is currently pretty much impossible.
*Sorry by itinerary I meant schedule
Hey, I’ve got the LOI from Karakoram Bikers (who were very helpful – thanks for the heads up!) but now I need to apply for a Visa in the UK. Apparently they need hotel bookings AND an itinerary. Do you need to stick with these once you are in Pakistan or can I cancel the bookings, and change my itinerary? Worried that this won’t give me much flexibility.
Never fear dude, nobody will be checking up on you or making you stick to your itinerary – you can cancel bookings (or just fake them in the first place) and change as much as you want when you get in. Just try to make your itinerary look as vanilla as possible on paper.
This looks like an awesome service! Is there a particular Visa service that you recommend using once I have the letter? I’m a UK citizen
Yes I organised mine via VisaHq in the UK – but I’d recommend you find another company to organise your visa through 🙂
Is there any way to get a LOI without doing any tours or staying at hotels? I want to roam and camp
Hey man, the LOI is just a formality – I was not on any kind of tour whilst I was there and was camping and roaming myself, however; to enter the country you need a visa. To get a visa, you need an LOI and to get an LOI, in 99% of cases, you need to purchase the LOI from a tour operator – you are under no obligation to actually book a tour.
yes there are so many couchsurfers …so you can stay in the house as well
I filled in the contact form on this page – a few hours later, I was contacted by the company in Pakistan who could help me. I paid, and less than two days later, I had my LOI and could go to the Pakistani embassy in Stockholm who are very quick, friendly and easy to communicate with. I had some wonderful two weeks in Pakistan in December 2016.
Glad to hear you had a nice and simple experience Johnny 🙂
Will
I am a US citizen. Why do I have to book a hotel for the entirety of my stay?
That’s just the way it is man. You can always just get hotel confirmation printouts from a service like agoda that give a 100% refund if you cancel in time…