Are you traveling to Pakistan from abroad and need to inquire if you need a mandatory negative coronavirus/Covid-19 test - also called PCR test - before boarding a plane?

It depends on which country you are coming from.

If you are coming from a Category A country, a list of 23 countries made by Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), you do not require the coronavirus PCR test to enter the country. 

The 6 January 2021 updated Govt of Pakistan list of Category A countries include Qatar, which was not included in earlier version.

If you are coming from a Category B country - which is virtually everyone else not on Category A list - you will require a mandatory negative coronavirus PCR test 96 hours before boarding a flight to Pakistan. This is what the latest (6 January 2021) Govt of Pakistan travel advisory for in-bound travel to Pakistan says.

In the 25 November travel advisory, Category C list was removed.

Before arriving in Pakistan all international travellers are required to fill in the Personal Declaration of Health and Origin and hand it over to the Health Department Staff upon arrival at the airport.

List of 23 Pakistan CAA Category A countries that do not require a PCR test to enter Pakistan (Updated: 6 January 2021)

1. Australia
2. China
3. Cote d'Ivoire
4. Cuba
5. Fiji
6. Finland
7. Ghana
8. Iceland
9. Iraq
10. Madagascar
11. Maldives
12. Myanmar
13. New Zealand
14. Qatar
15. Rwanda
16. Saudi Arabia
17. Singapore
18. South Korea
19. South Sudan
20. Sri Lanka
21. Togo
22. Vietnam
23. Zambia

Pakistan CAA Category B countries

Every country that is not listed in Pakistan CAA Category A is included in Category B. For example, USA, UK, Germany, Italy, UAE, Bahrain are all Category B countries.

Need more details? You can download these documents:

COVID-19 SOPs for international arriving passenger flights PDF

For more information:

Pakistan CAA travel advisory

Pakistan govt Covid website

PIA travel advisory for all destinations