Dual Nationality and Your Visa: Pakistan’s List of 22 Countries Explained (2026)

Many Pakistani families have a relative who holds, or is applying for, a second passport. Whether you are an overseas Pakistani sponsoring a visit or a resident planning to settle abroad, one question keeps coming up: does Pakistan allow you to hold two nationalities, and does it change how you apply for a visa? Here is what the official sources say, and where the picture is still unclear.

The Official List: 22 Countries

The Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (DGIP) lists 22 countries with which Pakistan has dual nationality arrangements. On its page, DGIP states that citizens of these countries are not required to renounce their nationality while acquiring Pakistani citizenship.

The 22 countries are: the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Belgium, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United States, Sweden, Ireland, Bahrain, Denmark, Germany, Norway and Luxembourg.

What Changed in 2025 and What Is Still Unclear

In April 2025, the Express Tribune reported that a Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2024 had been approved by the National Assembly’s standing committee. It would let Pakistanis who acquire citizenship of a listed country keep their Pakistani citizenship. The Law Ministry said many countries ask for proof of renunciation before granting citizenship, which the change was meant to address. The Express Tribune said full implementation was expected after final parliamentary approval.

We could not find a clear official confirmation of the final legal status in the sources we checked. Before you act on any of this, confirm the current position directly with DGIP or NADRA.

How This Affects Your Visa Application

Pakistan’s rules on nationality do not decide how a foreign embassy treats you. Each embassy applies its own rules, and the points below are general good practice rather than official requirements.

• Apply on the passport you will actually travel on
• Keep your name and date of birth identical across documents
• Declare other nationalities honestly where forms ask
• Carry both passports when travelling to Pakistan
• Check the embassy site for dual-national rules
• Never hide a previous refusal or second passport

Inconsistent or incomplete information is one of the most common reasons files run into trouble, which is why accuracy matters more here than anywhere else.

Who Should Be Careful

Families with a mix of passports are the ones most likely to run into confusion. A parent who holds a foreign passport may sponsor a Pakistani-passport relative, or a child born abroad may travel with a parent on a different passport. If that sounds like your family, check each person’s nationality and travel document before booking anything, and keep proof of the family relationship ready.

Quick Answers

Can I keep Pakistani nationality if I take UK, US, Canadian or Australian citizenship? Yes. These four countries were reported as already having arrangements with Pakistan, and they are on the DGIP list.

Is Turkey on the list? No. Reports in April 2025 said a Turkey arrangement was only under discussion.

Is the 2024 amendment fully in force? We could not confirm this from the sources we checked. Ask DGIP or NADRA for the current position.

Does dual nationality make a visa easier? Not automatically. Each embassy assesses your application on its own merits.

Rules, fees and legal status change often. Please confirm current requirements with DGIP, NADRA and the relevant embassy before you apply.