Hundreds of travellers were left waiting for hours at Karachi’s only designated airport vaccination centre after confusion over a new vaccination certificate requirement led people to seek verification they later found they did not need.
The confusion followed an announcement that was widely understood as making vaccination certificates mandatory for international travellers from September 14, prompting people to rush to National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) verification centres and the Federal Government Civil Dispensary at Jinnah International Airport.
The requirement, however, did not apply to every international traveller.
According to Border Health Services-Pakistan (BHSP), the vaccination requirements for Saudi Arabia apply to specific categories, including Umrah pilgrims, people travelling on work visas and those planning to stay in Saudi Arabia for more than six months. The requirements include polio, meningitis and influenza vaccinations.
Travellers to certain African countries have separate vaccination requirements. Yellow fever vaccination is required for people travelling to or arriving from specific countries and can also apply to passengers who have spent at least 10 hours in certain parts of Africa, Central America or South America.
The confusion led some people travelling to the United States (US) and European countries to visit the vaccination centre even though the requirements did not apply to their trips.
The situation became more complicated after the government extended the deadline for the NADRA-linked vaccination certificate requirement until September 25.
A BHSP notification issued on September 14 said that the implementation deadline had been extended “in the interest of the public and sister agencies”. The new system will digitally link vaccination records with NADRA, while manual vaccination certificates will remain valid until the extended deadline.
The extension came after passengers faced long queues and limited facilities at Karachi airport. The Federal Government Civil Dispensary near Jinnah International Airport was the only authorised centre for the vaccination process, according to officials.
Travellers said that they had spent thousands of rupees on verification and had waited for hours, only to learn that they did not need to complete the process before September 25.
A NADRA official at the airport dispensary confirmed that the verification fee would not be refunded once paid, saying the money went “into the government account”.
An official at the verification centre said that the vaccination requirement did not apply to all international travellers and blamed part of the confusion on reports on television and social media that presented it as a blanket requirement.
The official also claimed that some travel agents contributed to the rush because the government was providing vaccines at lower prices than some agents were charging.
The new system is being introduced to digitally verify vaccination records through NADRA. Karachi is the first airport where the integrated system is being implemented, with plans to expand it to other international airports and border points.
For travellers, however, the vaccination requirements themselves still depend on their destination, route and category of travel. The September 25 extension gives affected passengers more time to comply with the new certification system rather than removing the underlying vaccination requirements.
