Pakistan and Sudan have signed an agreement allowing holders of official and diplomatic passports to travel between the two countries without visas.

The pact was signed in Islamabad on Saturday, 7 November, by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Sudanese counterpart, Lieutenant General Babiker Samra Mustafa Ali, during a meeting and delegation-level talks in the capital.

Under the arrangement, holders of diplomatic and official passports from both countries will be exempt from visa requirements when travelling to each other's territories. Naqvi described the agreement as an important milestone in bilateral relations, saying it would make high-level contacts and official visits easier.

Ordinary passport holders are not covered. Pakistanis travelling to Sudan on an ordinary passport, and Sudanese citizens travelling to Pakistan on one, must continue to follow the normal visa requirements.

More than a travel deal

The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in security, internal affairs, cybercrime, police training and civil registration. They decided to sign a memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation in tackling cybercrime, with the Sudanese minister expressing interest in benefiting from Pakistan's expertise in the field.

Pakistan offered professional training for Sudanese police officers and said it was ready to extend all possible assistance to Sudan in restoring peace and supporting its reconstruction process.

The talks also covered the work of Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority, known as Nadra, in supporting Sudan's civil registration system. Naqvi said the authority had helped Sudan issue 36 million citizenship cards, nine million national identity cards, 18 million birth certificates and 500,000 death certificates, and was ready to continue helping strengthen the process.

Visas and health care

Separately, Naqvi directed officials to resolve at once the visa-related issues faced by Sudanese women married to Pakistani nationals. He also said Sudanese citizens could benefit from medical facilities in Pakistan, assuring that all possible assistance would be provided in the health care sector.

The Sudanese interior minister welcomed Pakistan's offers of cooperation and expressed gratitude for its support. Describing Pakistan as a brotherly country, he said Sudan attached great importance to strengthening ties with Islamabad and sought to expand cooperation across different sectors.

Why it matters

The agreement comes as the two countries look to rebuild a closer official relationship, with the Sudanese minister's visit to Islamabad covering security, policing and civil registration as well as travel.

For officials and diplomats, the change is practical: trips that once needed a visa application can now go ahead without one. For ordinary travellers, nothing changes for now, and the normal visa rules still apply.