Published by - Imtiaz Ullah aka NomadLawyer
https://www.nomadlawyer.org/
Is it safe to travel to Afghanistan? and know the necessary travel Laws
Afghanistan is not absolutely safe for travellers. It is not advisable to wander around if you are not with local people. If you are planning a trip to Afghanistan it is highly recommended to avail the service of local guide who knows the country well.
The locals are amongst the most friendly and genuine people. It is advisable to be with someone who really knows the area, who lives in the country and has ways to help you if something goes haywire
Travel Advisory: Travel to all areas of Afghanistan is unsafe because of critical levels of kidnappings, hostage taking, suicide bombings, widespread military combat operations, landmines, and terrorist and insurgent attacks, including attacks using vehicle-borne, magnetic, or other improvised explosive devices (IEDs), suicide vests, and grenades.
Even then if you wish to travel to this beautiful country, keep in mind the below mentioned laws.
Travel Laws for Afghanistan:
Unless you are an Afghan citizen, you will need a visa to visit Afghanistan. The only exemptions are travellers born in Afghanistan, born to Afghan parents or with parents born in Afghanistan, and people with service or diplomatic passports of select countries.
The Afghanistan tourist visa is valid for 30 days. It’s single entry. It is not date-specific, meaning the visa duration starts from the day you enter, which can be any day within a 3-month period stated on the visa.
Visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months from the date of arrival except for citizens of Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary,India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom, United States and Uzbekistan as well as all foreigners of Afghan origin, whose passports have to be valid on arrival.
Afghanistan visa requirements Afghanistan visa requirements are standard:
● passport with 6 months validity after the expiry of the Afghan visa
● passport photo
● filled out Afghanistan visa application form
Application process Certain embassies ask for a letter of invitation, while others don’t. Some embassies don’t issue tourist visas at all due to safety concerns. Who does and who does not changes often. Did the embassy not ask for a letter of invitation this week? Next week they might. There are no hard and fast rules as to the application process. Each ambassador decides for himself.
Letter of invitation If you need a letter of invitation, you can get one from a local in Afghanistan. Couchsurfing is full of helpful people. Tour operators do not want to give you a letter of invitation unless you go on a tour with them. Afghanistan visa extension
Extension of Tourism Visa A tourist visa to Afghanistan can be extended only once, for 1 month. The cost for overstaying your visa is now $10 per day overstaying during the first month (instead of $2 per day previously), and $15 per day for the second month (previously $5 per day). If the delay is more than two months, in addition to the fine, you will be deported.
Happy Travelling!
