Afghanistan Visa for Tourists: How to Get One, Step by Step

By Al Hamid Tour and Travel · Updated 2026-07-10 · Kabul, Afghanistan

Afghanistan changed how tourist visas work in March 2026: there is now an official online e-Visa, so for most travelers the passport never has to leave home. The embassy route still exists and still matters for some nationalities and entry points. Here is how both work, and what we prepare for you either way.

What changed in 2026: the online e-Visa

Afghanistan opened its e-Visa portal (eAfghans) in March 2026 — the first time tourists could apply for entry entirely online. You complete the form, upload a passport scan and a photo, pay online, and the visa arrives by email as a PDF, usually within a few working days and sometimes within 24 hours. As it stands it is a single-entry tourist visa, good for a stay of up to 30 days, that has to be used within 90 days of being issued, and it is accepted for arrivals at Kabul International Airport. If you plan to enter overland, apply at an embassy instead. These rules are new and still moving, so check the current position with us before you book flights.

Applying for the e-Visa, step by step

1. Tell us your travel dates and route so we can confirm what your nationality needs — the answer differs for overland entry and for a handful of passports.
2. Create an application on the official eAfghans portal and fill in your personal and travel details.
3. Upload your documents: the passport photo page, a passport-style photograph, and your itinerary or invitation letter where one is asked for.
4. Pay online. At the time of writing the total comes to roughly $130 — a small portal fee when you submit, and the visa fee itself once the application is approved.
5. Your e-Visa arrives by email as a PDF. Send us a copy, print one for the airport, and we finalize your arrival plan.

What you need to upload

• Passport valid at least 6 months beyond your travel dates, with blank pages
• A clear scan or photo of the passport information page
• A recent passport-style photograph
• Your tour itinerary, plus an invitation letter from a registered Afghan tour operator — no longer demanded in every case, but it is what makes an application read as ordinary, and we issue one for every guest
• A payment card that works for international online payments

If you apply at an embassy instead

The embassy route still applies if you are entering overland, if the portal will not take your nationality, or if you would rather have the visa in the passport. You apply at an Afghan embassy or consulate outside Afghanistan. Travelers most often use the missions in Dubai or Abu Dhabi (UAE), Islamabad or Peshawar (Pakistan), Doha (Qatar), Istanbul (Türkiye), or Tashkent (Uzbekistan) — but many capitals have an Afghan mission. Requirements and fees differ from one embassy to another, so once you tell us where you will apply, we tailor the paperwork to that embassy's checklist.

Cost and processing time

The e-Visa costs about $130 in total at the time of writing — roughly $8–$10 in portal fees plus a visa fee of around $120 — paid online in two stages. Embassy fees vary by nationality and mission and commonly land between $80 and $200. Either way, allow three to four weeks before departure: the e-Visa is usually the quicker of the two, but approval times move around. The visa fee is paid by you directly and is not included in tour package prices.

After you land: travel permits

A visa gets you into the country; provincial travel permits get you around it. Foreign visitors need a travel letter from the Ministry of Information and Culture in Kabul naming the provinces they will stay in — about 1,000 AFN (roughly $12) per province — and then register with the provincial Information and Culture department on arrival in each one. This is the part travelers most often underestimate, and it is handled for you on every tour we run.

What we handle for you

• Invitation/support letter naming you, your dates, and your route
• A document checklist matched to your route and to where you are applying — portal or embassy
• Answers to any verification call or email the embassy or the ministry sends us
• Airport pick-up, the provincial permits, and the registration stops, so your paperwork stays in order for the whole trip

Visa support is included in every tour package and also available as a separate service. Tell us your nationality and where you plan to apply on WhatsApp, and we will reply with the exact checklist for that embassy. Wondering what a trip costs? See our tour packages and prices.