Pakistan and Sudan sign visa-free deal for official, diplomatic passports
Pakistan and Sudan signed an agreement in Islamabad on Saturday allowing holders of official and diplomatic passports to travel between the two countries without visas. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi signed it with his Sudanese counterpart.
- Holders of official and diplomatic passports from both countries can travel without visas
- Mohsin Naqvi and Lieutenant General Babiker Samra Mustafa Ali signed the deal in Islamabad
- Pakistan has signed similar arrangements with Italy, Somalia, Bangladesh, the UAE and Hungary
Pakistan and Sudan signed an agreement on Saturday under which holders of official and diplomatic passports of both countries can enter the other country without a visa. The signing took place in Islamabad.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi signed the agreement with his Sudanese counterpart, Lieutenant General Babiker Samra Mustafa Ali, according to The Express Tribune and Associated Press of Pakistan. The Nation reported that the move is aimed at facilitating official engagements and strengthening bilateral relations.
Naqvi described the agreement as an important milestone in bilateral relations between Pakistan and Sudan. Daily Jang quoted him as saying the agreement was an important milestone in those ties.
He said the facility would further facilitate high-level contacts between the two countries. According to Daily Jang, he added that the visa-free facility would ease high-level contacts and the exchange of delegations.
The Sudanese interior minister said the agreement would strengthen friendly relations and promote institutional cooperation between the two countries.
Daily Jang also reported that, after meeting his Sudanese counterpart, Naqvi said Pakistan is ready to provide professional training to Sudanese police officers.
The Express Tribune noted that Pakistan has concluded comparable arrangements with other states. It signed an agreement with Hungary in April 2025 abolishing visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders, and a similar arrangement with the United Arab Emirates in June 2025, which came into effect on 25 July of that year.
The paper also listed Bangladesh, which agreed in July last year to let diplomatic and official passport holders enter without visas, Somalia, which signed in January to waive visas for diplomatic passport holders, and Italy, which signed in June this year.
Background
khabr.pk reported on 6 November that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met UK security minister Dan Jarvis in Islamabad, where the two countries agreed to widen cooperation on counter-terrorism, cybercrime and immigration.
Why it matters
The agreement applies to Pakistani officials and diplomats travelling to Sudan, and to Sudanese officials visiting Pakistan. It removes visa steps for official and diplomatic delegations, which Naqvi said will ease high-level contacts. It does not cover ordinary passport holders, so general travellers are not affected.
