Haj and Umrah pilgrims, work visa holders and those planning to stay in Saudi Arabia for more than six months will be required to carry a National Database and Registration Authority-linked vaccination certificate from Sept 25 onwards when travelling from Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, an official said.

The development came as Border Health Services-Pakistan (BHS-P) extended the deadline for the application of the requirement — which initially applied only to Haj and Umrah pilgrims — from Sept 14 to 10am on Sept 25.

The requirement was initially announced by the BHS-P in a notice issued on September 7 and covered pre-departure vaccinations against polio, meningitis, yellow fever and influenza.

On Monday, the BHS-P informed the chief operating officer at the Karachi airport of the deadline’s extension in a new notice.

The notice, seen by Dawn, stated: “In the interest of the public and on the request of our sister agencies, the implementation deadline for the vaccination requirement at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi has been extended till Sept 25, 2026 at (sic) 10am.”

It added that “influenza, meningitis and polio vaccines are mandatory for Umrah pilgrims, work visa [holders] and those staying for more than six months in KSA”.

When Dawn contacted BHS-P’s International Health Regulation Focal Person Dr Syed Ghulam Murtaza Shah for further clarity on this, he said that requirement to carry a Nadra-linked vaccination certificate would also apply to workers and those intending to stay in Saudi Arabia for more than six months.

He added that the initiative would be extended to more airports in the future.

Earlier, in its initial notice, the BHS-P’s said that all airlines were requested to “strictly inform their travel agents that from now on, only proof of vaccination linked to Nadra will be acceptable for travel”.

It further stated that the BHS-P also requested station managers of all airlines to inform travel agents that Umrah pilgrims must obtain a “digital vaccine card linked to Nadra from an authorised vaccination centre” before their departure.

Vaccination and online registration facilities would also be available at the airport in the next few days so passengers must reach six hours before their flight if they require vaccination at the airport, it said, adding that the vaccination fee would be paid through Nadra’s e-Sahulat platform.