Do I need a permit for the Pamirs (GBAO)?
Short answer
Yes. Gorno-Badakhshan (GBAO), which includes most of the Pamir Highway, needs a permit on top of your visa or visa-free entry. With an e-visa, you add the permit when you apply: US$20. If you enter Tajikistan without a visa, you need to arrange the permit another way.
- GBAO permit fee (with an e-visa)
- US$20
All confirmed by an official source.
Sources for this answer (1)
GBAO permit fee (with an e-visa)
US$20
What the permit covers
- Where: All of GBAO except the Lake Sarez area.
- Entries: One. You enter GBAO on the date shown on your e-visa.
Lake Sarez is not covered, so a visit there needs separate permission.
Sources for this section (2)
Where the GBAO permit lets you go
All of GBAO except the Lake Sarez area
Number of entries to GBAO
One. You enter GBAO on the date shown on your e-visa
With an e-visa
Add the GBAO permit to your e-visa application on the official portal, evisa.tj. The permit costs US$20 on top of the e-visa fee.
Your e-visa shows the date you plan to enter GBAO, and you must enter on that date. Carry a printed copy of the e-visa in case there is no mobile internet at a checkpoint.
Sources for this section (1)
GBAO permit fee (with an e-visa)
US$20
If you enter Tajikistan without a visa
Visa-free travellers don’t use the e-visa portal, so they need to get the permit another way. Travellers report getting it from the migration office (OVIR) in Dushanbe or Khorog, or through a Tajik travel agency, which can arrange it before you arrive.
If you will enter GBAO straight from Kyrgyzstan or China, arrange the permit before you get to the border.
What we could not verify
- How travellers without an e-visa get the permit, and how long it takes. Travellers report getting it from the migration office (OVIR) in Dushanbe or Khorog, or through a local travel agency.
- Whether the permit is checked when you cross into GBAO from Kyrgyzstan at the Kyzyl-Art pass, and from China at the Kulma pass.
This is an independent guide, not a government website. Rules change often. Before you travel, check the official source linked next to each fact.
