Entry/Exit Requirements

Passport and Visas: 

• You must have a passport and valid visa to enter and exit. 
• You cannot get your visa upon arrival at Kabul International Airport.
• If you arrive without a visa you will be subject to deportation or confiscation of your passport and heavy fines. 

Dual Nationals/Afghan Heritage:

• U.S. citizens considered to be Afghan nationals by virtue of their birth in Afghanistan are not required to have an entry or exit visa.
• You should contact the Embassy of Afghanistan for an entry permit confirming Afghan nationality, which can be used for entry into the country.
• For U.S. passport holders who are of Afghan parentage and the place of birth listed on their passports is other than Afghanistan, a visa is not required for entry. In addition, U.S. lawful permanent residents of Afghan heritage without Afghan passports and U.S. citizens born in Afghanistan may still wish to apply for an entry permit as some have experienced difficulties entering Afghanistan because they do not have a visa in their non-Afghan travel document.

Military:

• U.S. citizens arriving in the country via military air carriers may have considerable difficulty if they choose to depart Afghanistan on commercial airlines because their passports lack an entry cachet indicating that they entered the country legally.
• Anyone arriving on military air should move quickly to legitimize his or her residency and work status if there is any chance of departing the country on commercial air.

Registration:

• Travelers are expected to register with a representative of the Ministry of Interior’s Foreigners’ Registration Office upon arrival at Kabul International Airport.
• Please note that often this office is closed or unmanned. If it is closed, you should register at the Ministry of Interior’s Statistics Office in Kabul, located at Kart-e-Parwan Square in front of Nadirya High School, and bring two passport-size photos.
• Upon registration, the traveler will be issued a card that he or she should surrender upon departure.
• Immigration authorities in Afghanistan have also implemented a fingerprinting system for all foreign visitors, with the exception of diplomats and U.S. government personnel traveling on official passports.  

Medical Requirements:

• The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors or foreign residents of Afghanistan.

Visit the website of the Embassy of Afghanistan for the most current visa information.

Information about dual nationality or the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our website. For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information page.