Pakistani travelers to Saudi Arabia must now present polio vaccination certificate

The latest travel requirements for Pakistani citizens visiting Saudi Arabia now mandate a polio vaccination certificate, as announced by the Kingdom's civil aviation authority.

This decision comes as Pakistan remains one of only two countries worldwide reporting polio cases. 

As per reports indicate that five countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, Congo, and Mozambique, are now required to present a mandatory polio vaccination certificate for travel.

However, individuals travelling through the said countries who do not leave the transit area in 12 hours will be freed from the restrictions, according to the Kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). 

The development came after Pakistan went record-high with 69 polio cases in 2024. Of these, Balochistan emerged as the worst-affected province with 27 cases, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 21, Sindh 19, and one case report in Punjab and Islamabad.

However, individuals transiting through these countries for less than 12 hours without leaving the transit area will be exempt from this requirement, according to the Kingdom's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

This decision follows a record-high of 69 polio cases reported in Pakistan in 2024. Balochistan was the most affected province with 27 cases, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (21), Sindh (19), and single cases reported in Punjab and Islamabad.

The data showed a higher number of polio cases reported in Pakistan compared to conflict-ridden Afghanistan.

In 2024, Afghanistan reported 25 cases of polio, while at least 67 cases were reported in Pakistan; however, reports of several samples have yet to be received.

However, a senior official of the Polio Programme of Pakistan termed Afghanistan’s statistics suspicious. The official stated that Pakistan adheres to a policy of sharing transparent data the country has a robust reporting system compared to neighbouring Afghanistan.