Afghanistan
AFGAfghanistan is a landlocked country in Southern Asia bordered by Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China. Since the Taliban resumed control in August 2021, the country has operated outside internationally recognised governance frameworks; no foreign government formally recognises the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Afghan passport currently ranks among the weakest globally, providing visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to around 21 destinations.
Dual citizenship is not officially recognised under Afghan law. The UN and most Western states maintain Afghan embassies or consular services for diaspora documentation and passport renewals, though conditions and processing capacity vary by country. Afghan nationals abroad should verify current consular availability in their host country before initiating any documentation process.
- Naturalisation
- 5 years
- Tax system
- Residence Based
- Currency
- Afghan Afghani (AFN)
- Dual citizenship
- Not allowed
- Capital
- Kabul
- Region
- asia
- Population
- 40,754,388
- Cost-of-living
- 18 /100
Passport Rank
#103
Visa-Free
21
destinations
Visa-free travel
A Afghanistan passport has visa-free access to 21 destinations. See the full Afghanistan passport breakdown →
Community-sourced (passport-index, synced 2026-08-18) — verify with the embassy before travel.
Immigrating to Canada from Afghanistan
Current IRCC processing times for Afghanistan nationals, by application type.
| Visitor visa (outside Canada) | 58 days |
| Super visa | No processing time available |
| Study permit | 3 weeks |
| Work permit | No processing time available |
| Sponsor a dependent child | No processing time available |
| Adopted child (citizenship) | Not enough data |
| Government-assisted refugees | Not enough data |
| Privately sponsored refugees | sponsor: Not enough data / refugee: Not enough data |
Your application may take longer than the times shown here. They’re not a maximum or a guarantee.
As of 2026-09-22 (IRCC). See all Canada processing times →
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — “Check processing times”. This is a copy of the version available at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html. Reproduced under the Government of Canada’s non-commercial reproduction terms; not endorsed by or affiliated with IRCC.
Sources & last verified
Government of Canada — non-commercial reproduction (canada.ca Terms and conditions)
Country Details
- Capital
- Kabul
- Currency
- Afghan Afghani (AFN)
- Languages
- Dari, Pashto
- Population
- 40,754,388
- Tax System
- Residence Based
- Dual Citizenship
- Not allowed
- Naturalisation
- 5 years
- Schengen / EU
- No
- Climate
- Arid to semi-arid; cold winters and hot summers; significant regional variation between mountain and lowland zones
- GDP per capita
- $417
- Life expectancy
- 66.29 yrs
- Population growth
- 2.77%/yr
GDP per capita, life expectancy, and population growth: World Bank (2025).
Indices
Cost of Living
18
Safety
9
Healthcare
11
Quality of Life
10
Tax Summary
- Tax System
- Residence Based
- Territorial Taxation
- No — worldwide income taxed for residents
- Naturalisation
- 5 years of legal residency
- Dual Citizenship
- Not allowed
Cost of Living by City
← scroll the table →
| City | Rent 1BR centre | Rent outside | Groceries | Utilities | Transit pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kabul | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kandahar | — | — | — | — | — |
| Herat | — | — | — | — | — |
Monthly USD figures. Typical central 1-bedroom rent, grocery basket for one, household utilities, monthly transit pass.
Climate
Kabul
Rainfall range: 3–55 mm/month · Daylight 10h (winter) to 14h (summer)
Visa Categories & Immigration Authority
Major Visa Categories
- Tourist (severely restricted)
- Business
- Work
- Family
- Diplomatic
- Authority
- Ministry of Refugees & Repatriations / Passport Directorate
- Official Portal
- morr.gov.af
Naturalisation Details
- Residence Years
- 5
- Language Test
- Yes (Dari/Pashto)
- Civic Test
- No
- Oath Required
- Yes
- Dual Allowed
- No
- Fee
- $50
- Processing
- ~24 months
Safety
GPI Rank
#163
Global Peace Index ranking (lower is safer)
Common Risks
- ⚠Fake aid-worker or NGO recruitment demanding upfront payments or documents
- ⚠Fraudulent visa facilitation services charging fees for non-existent permits
- ⚠Currency exchange fraud using counterfeit or deprecated Afghani notes
Examples of areas to avoid: Spin Boldak (Kandahar province) — active Taliban border-crossing flashpoint and smuggling corridor, Kunar and Nuristan provinces — remote mountainous areas with persistent insurgent activity and limited state presence, Kabul diplomatic quarter perimeter outside secured compounds — frequent soft-target attack risk
Regulators & official sources
Bodies that regulate immigration advice in Afghanistan, and the official sources indexed for it by Visa Atlas. Descriptions are verbatim; each links to its source.
E-Afghans Visa Portal
E-AfghansOfficially linked Afghanistan e-visa information page and applicant portal entry point for tourist e-visa eligibility, document, processing, fee and issuance guidance.
Consulate General of Afghanistan in Dubai and Northern Emirates
Afghan Consulate DubaiAfghan mission site publishing tourist e-visa application steps, document guidance, processing notes, fee handling and consular service links.
Afghanistan Consulate Dubai entry-permit section
Entry PermitAfghan mission entry-permit page for Afghans holding passports other than Afghan passports, including Tazkira, child evidence, fee and processing-time notes.
Related Guides
Related on The Citizenship Desk
Visa routes
Official visa and residence routes for Afghanistan, indexed from Visa Atlas. Each links to its government source. This is a licensed external index, distinct from our own curated visa guides.
Short-term / business
Afghan-Origin Entry Permit
Short-term / businessAfghanistan entry-permit route for Afghans who hold passports other than Afghan passports.
Tourist e-Visa
Short-term / businessAfghanistan single-entry tourist e-visa route through the official E-Afghans online visa portal.
Work (sponsored)
Work, Study or Residence Authority Check
Work (sponsored)Afghanistan cautious authority-check route for work, study, residence or non-tourist cases not covered by the public tourist e-visa page.
Sources & last verified
Route index from Visa Atlas (CC BY 4.0), as of 2026-09-12. Each route links to its official government source.
Sources & last verified
- Last verified