Rules for overlanding in Pakistan

Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 18 September 2025.

Which licence you need

All vehicles — An International Driving Permit is required, and both the 1949 Geneva and the 1968 Vienna models are recognised. Check what applies to the licence you hold.

An International Driving Permit states the categories it covers: check yours covers what you will actually drive. A car licence does not cover a motorcycle, and a heavy camper or a truck can need a higher category.

At the wheel

Insurance — Third-party cover is compulsory and no foreign policy is recognised. Buy short-term cover on arrival in Pakistan, for instance through the Automobile Association of Pakistan.
Temporary import — A motor vehicle can be brought in temporarily under a carnet de passages en douane, normally for 3 months. The Central Board of Revenue can extend that in special cases, but the application has to be filed before the 3 months run out. An international certificate of registration is recommended for driving a temporarily imported vehicle.
Driving someone else's vehicle — You need a letter of authority from the owner, with the signature notarised.
Left-hand traffic and lights — Traffic drives on the left and overtakes on the right. Lights must be on from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise, and whenever visibility drops in haze, fog, rain or a sandstorm; high beams may only be used outside built-up areas. At night you are expected to flash your lights to signal an overtake before you start it.
Alcohol — Drink-driving is strictly forbidden. Anyone suspected of it is taken straight to a police service doctor for a test, and court proceedings can follow on that report.
Helmets and seatbelts — Helmets are compulsory for both rider and pillion on a motorcycle. Seatbelts are compulsory in the front seats, and child restraints are not required by law.
Roads — The road network between the main cities is inadequate, apart from the Islamabad–Lahore and Islamabad–Peshawar stretches, and it stays precarious in rural and mountainous areas, where landslides and slips are frequent. Motorways are tolled.
Night travel and drivers — Avoid moving around at night, and check that any driver you use is reliable. The ministry also advises arranging things through a serious, trusted local contact who can set up dependable escort and assistance on arrival and throughout the trip.

What catches travellers out

Alcohol and Ramadan — Alcohol is forbidden to Pakistani Muslims and foreigners can only buy it in designated outlets, after obtaining a licence. During Ramadan do not eat, drink or smoke in the open or in public between dawn and sunset.
Keep a low profile — Contempt of religion, of sacred texts or of religious figures can be punished under the law up to the death penalty, and can also trigger violent reactions from bystanders. Do not stop near military or police installations and do not photograph them. Dress and behave so as not to attract attention.
Drugs — Using or trafficking drugs, soft or hard, is severely prohibited. The death penalty is in theory provided for possession of more than one kilo of narcotics.
Cash and customs — There is no limit on bringing in foreign currency but you must declare the amount on entry to be able to take the same sum out again, and exporting Pakistani rupees is prohibited. Card use is mostly limited to the big cities and is not advisable outside large hotels and shops because of the high counterfeiting risk. Exporting antiquities over 50 years old is prohibited, and the rule covers all art objects and carpets.

Before you rely on this

This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 18 September 2025. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Pakistan before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.

Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 18 September 2025. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.