In yet another of our overlanding adventures we travelled from Kyrgyzstan to India on public transport. The third border-crossing of the trip was from Lahore (Pakistan) to Amritsar (India). We’re currently at it again, and most recently crossed this border in January 2024.
The Wagah border is the only crossing-point open to foreigners to travel by land between Pakistan and India. This post is a guide to travelling from Lahore to Amritsar (or vice versa) across the Wagah border.
Before you go
Get your visas ahead of time: neither India nor Pakistan does visa on arrival. In 2019 Pakistan introduced an e-Visa system. Bring printed copies of your e-Visa grant notice.
If you’ve got the double entry e-Visa for India, your first entry to India on that visa has to be through one of the approved airports – you can’t come by land from a neighboring country. So to cross the Wagah border from Pakistan to India with an e-Visa, you must have already entered India the first time on that visa by air and exited at any border, making Wagah your second entry. If you are overlanding from Europe or Central Asia (as we were) don’t get the e-Visa. Instead, get the regular India Tourist Visa. It costs more and you have to get it from an Embassy/visa service ahead of time, but it lasts longer than the e-Visa, is usually multiple entry, and allows entry by land on first arrival.
There are money changers on the Pak side of the border and ATMs in Atari (the closest village) on the Indian side.
The border is open daily from 10.00 to about 16.00. But due to the famous border-closing ceremony that takes place every afternoon in the stadium purpose-built on the border, you can’t cross after 15.00-15.30. Make sure you arrive well in advance of that. In the winter, the border show and closure is a bit earlier, check before setting off.
You can watch the closing ceremony on either side. Rather than trying to cross first and then watch the show, I’d suggest making a separate trip out of it another day. No bags are allowed at the show.
The route
You can get from Lahore to Amritsar in about 3-4 hours. The border itself is very straightforward and only takes about an hour, depending on how many people are crossing (probably not too many). Having crossed it 4 times, this guide is from the perspective of my latest trip – from Pakistan to India. If you’re going in the opposite direction it’s basically the same procedure in reverse*.
Lahore to the border
To get from Lahore to the border, book yourself an inDrive or flag a rickshaw in the street. The last couple of times we did this, it cost around 1200 – 1500 PKR.
It takes about 45 minutes to get from Lahore to the first checkpoint near some shops, where your ride will drop you.
*If you’ve just arrived from India, there’s usually some kind of transportation from Pakistan Immigration that will drop you off at the car park on the road out of the border area. Taxis and rickshaws lurk there, and you can take one to Lahore.
Crossing the border
Your ride will drop you off at Pakistan’s first checkpoint. The guards will search male travelers and their luggage there – female travelers, you’ll be pointed to a little building further along where you can go in for a totally cursory pat-down and quick glance at your bag.
Walk up the road about a kilometer towards the stadium. Or, wait in the car park on the right side of the road for a ride to take you. Everybody will try to convince you to take a ride so you don’t have to walk another step: your call.
You’ll be pointed into the big Immigration building. They’ll take your details down at a desk right inside the door. You’ll fill out a departure form, and they might x-ray your bags. Everyone is incredibly friendly, it’s practically delightful to cross this border.
After the bag check you’ll queue up (or when I did it, be the only person) at the desk for the final passport check and stamp.
Then out you go, and walk the last bit to the stadium. Show your passport to the soldier at the gates and go on through. Show your passport to the Indian soldier standing on the other side a few metres away.
Immediately after the gates you’ll exit the stadium to the right and go to a building sort of beside it. They’ll check your passport and your bags and then you wait there for the bus service. It’s free and a very short trip, but mandatory.
The bus takes you to Indian Immigration services. One of the first officers you’ll meet is an ancient Golden Retriever (assuming she is still alive. Update in 2024 – we met a young German Shepherd who’d been training for a year. I hope the Golden has retired). After the dog checks your bags humans will check them again. Fill out the arrival card and go to the desk to get your stamp.
After that you’ll be told to load your bags into the x-ray and wait for Customs. If you wait more than a few minutes and they seem to forget about you: go up to the Customs desk and just ask them to process you. They’ll run your bags through the machine, ask you some questions, and send you on your way.
Walk out of the building towards the parking lot. Taxi drivers will be on you in an instant (this is India, after all).
The border to Amritsar
You can take a taxi straight to Amritsar from the parking lot for about 1600 INR (the prices are sign-posted) or, continue walking right out through a couple of checkpoints to the main road. Look for a taxi there or take a rickshaw to the bus stand in Atari where you can catch a bus to Amritsar. It takes about an hour to get to the city.
*There are a couple of ways to get from Amritsar to the border:
- take a bus from the Amritsar bus stand to Atari. Get a rickshaw the last couple of kms.
- take a seat in a share-taxi from around the Golden Temple area for a couple hundred INR per person. The touts will hassle you constantly about this. It’s a good idea if you are just going to watch the show. If you are going to cross you probably won’t make it in time.
- take your own taxi. Again, the touts will find you – just bargain.
Read More
For more about travelling in these two countries and things to see and do while you’re at it, check out my other posts about Pakistan and India.
I also wrote a story about my experience crossing the border the first time: India to Pakistan: Crossing the Wagah Border.
This Post Has 31 Comments
thanx, nice story. Looking forward to step into Pakistan by bike in about one year…
Awesome! Enjoy 🙂
Thanks, very useful
I am am a Canadian citizen of Indian origin with an OCI. Can I get Pakistani e-visa while I am in India?
Hey, I don’t know all the ins and outs of the visa rules but Canadians can apply for the e-visa. Also, I believe you are technically meant to apply for the e-visa while still in your country of residence, you’d want to look into that.
Hello is it possible to cross boarder by Nepalese Sherpa too. If so how to do that you have any ideas. Thank you very much for sharing.
Hi Sarah,
What a life! Very nice to read about your adventures. I have a question about the regular visa. Hope you van help. Where did you find the inforation about crossing a land border with a regular visa? I’ve tried calling the Indian embassy here in The Netherlands to get some confermation but am hitting a bit of a bureaucratic wall. (not that I don’t believe you 😉 I’m going to Pakistan in June and Juli and want to travel on through India 🙂
Hi! If you were to apply for the e-visa (which you shouldn’t do, in this case obvs) you find the information about allowed entry points there. To apply for the regular visa you fill out the form in the same place and submit it online, but then you have to print everything and take it into either the embassy or the application centre. India’s full of bureaucratic walls, haha. Also – I’d get that visa sorted before leaving home. We recently met someone who applied for (and got) the regular visa in Islamabad so as to cross the Wagah border by road. But I’m not sure how reliable that is. If you’re still confused just email me, I’ll try to explain more:)
Can we cross the borders on Sundays as well?
I’d assume so, but you should check in advance. Just ask at your accommodation, they’ll probably know:)
Dear I,M British Citizen Possible Get visa on Arrival. From WAGAH Border Land Crossing .
Hey Sarah
I have sent you a query on mail. Can you please let me know if a foreigner can travel through Wagha border to Pakistan if he has multiple entry indian visa
Hey there! Thanks so much for this. I am so confused about whether you can re enter India from Wagah on a multiple entry e visa. It seems that you did that successfully? Official e visa help desk keeps responding to my query with vague language and reiteration of online guidelines (which states that you may not enter India via land on tourist visa or e visa). Wish they’d just be clear. Any tips?
Hi! I know…it’s painful:) I have entered by road from Wagah on an e-visa, yes. The key is that you need to have already ‘activated’ the e-visa – ie entered India by air, on that same visa, already. So for example, I have an e-visa, I fly to Delhi and enter, now my visa is active. I can then exit – and re-enter – on that visa, over a land border such as Wagah. Keep the e-visa printout with you, and I double-checked on exiting, that I could indeed come back – things do change:) Other option is get yourself an ordinary visa (sticker in your passport) and use that to enter by land.
Thank you so much! That’s what I’ve gathered from various blogs: that your tourist e-visa must be
(a) multiple entry and
(b) first validated (stamped) at an airport before you can exist and re-enter india via a land border. I’ve read that, additionally, the first entry on the current trip must also be at an airport or one of the select sea ports.
Ahhh… just to be safe though, I think I will end up getting a regular paper visa. Again, thank you so much! Your blog has been incredibly helpful 🙂
Yes, exactly – first entry must be at an airport (or listed seaport). And thanks, glad it helped:)
Hi there I’m planning to travel overland from Europe to Singapore in November. The plan is to drive as far as possible and then use public transport. The question is, As an Irish passport holder driving an Irish registered car, can I cross the Wagah border between Lahore and Amritsar. Obviously I have all the correct documents and the Carnet de Passage for Pakistan and India. Currently I’m looking at shipping the vehicle from Karachi and continuing onward using public transport. But it would be so much easier if I could drive across there. Any info would be greatly appreciated
Regards Robbie
Hi! Sorry, I have no idea if you can drive your own car across it… Hope you can though (or at least, that you find an answer:)).
Hi Sarah, this post is super helpful!
I’ll be entering Pakistan from the Indian side of the border – would you know if there’s any criteria regarding entering Pakistan via land on their E Tourist Visa?
Thanks!
As far as I know the e Visa is pretty much the only option now, and they allow land entry on it, yes.
do wagah border is still operational for crossing from India to Pakistan
Yep
Can i cross india boarder from Pakistan wagah. i m pakistani National
What need documents
I am a US citizen that is Indian born. When you apply for a Pakistan Visa or an Indian Visa, do you put on your application the intent of going to both countries? Do you have to go to India first? Then to Pakistan?
The order you’re going in and how you’ll get there would sort of be determined by your type of visa. If you want to go to Pakistan first, travel around, then cross the Wagah border to India, you’d need a sticker visa for India in your passport to enter by land. If you did that in reverse (fly to India, then cross by road to Pakistan), you could go with the Indian e-visa.
Hi Sarah..I am glad to find your site, full of information. This year I want to enter Wagah Border from Lahore. Off course I have e visa, multiple entry for 5 years and already used it last year, landed at New Delhi airport. Can I re enter India from Lahore to Wagah Border with the same e visa?
Hi! I would think so, but honestly as I’ve never had a 5 year visa I can’t say from personal experience how it worked. You could probably find out for sure in Islamabad at the Indian High Commission/Embassy.
Hello Sarah, fantastic write up and very much informative, thanks for sharing. We are a Canadian couple and will be crossing border to Pakistan from India with an e-visa just wanted to know
1. How much luggage and cash is allowed?
2. I have some prescription medication will those be an issue? (I will be carrying the prescription though) 3. Is it possible to exchange INR to PKR at the border or carrying CAD would be a wise decision.
Hi, thanks! Well, you’re going by foot and there’s a shuttle bus involved so I imagine how much luggage you bring is up to you:) I don’t know if there are limits, doubt it. About cash, don’t remember off-hand, there’s definitely a limit beyond which you’d have to declare but that’s just standard and pretty high. You can change INR and PKR on the Pakistan side once you’re across (if you’re bringing any other cash I’d not bother with CAD, take USD).
Thanks so much for the detailed info, especially the visa type. I am a solo Aussie grey nomad, been to the border ceremony a number of times but never crossed. Hope to cross in 2025 & spend some time in India.