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Window to Karachi |
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Window to Karachi |
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General Information Getting Here In Karachi Airport Hotels Tourist sites Shopping Hospitals Holidays Gallery Culture History Weather Links |
Arriving at Karachi International AirportThe Quaid-e-Azam International Airport in Karachi is nice and fairly easy to get around. You will need to complete a customs form before you get to the airport. You will receive this form on the plane. (If the attendants do not give it to you, ask for one. If they do not have one, they are available inside the airport.) The form asks for name, passport and visa number, where you are staying and so forth. Be sure to get your Pakistan address information before you depart for Karachi. You may also be handed a health form; complete this also. You may or may not be asked to turn it in at the airport.When you de-plane, just follow the crowd, they are all going through Immigration, same as you. You will walk down a long hallway to an escalator going down. You will turn right off the escalator, look straight ahead and you will see Immigration. Get in the line for Foreign Passports. Between the escalator and the immigration desk, you may be asked to submit your health form. If no one asks, stick it in your pocket and file it later. At the Immigration desk, just give the official your passport and he will do the rest. He may ask how long you will be staying in Pakistan, just tell him. He will probably not ask any more questions. If he does, just politely answer the question he asks. Immigration now has a new computer generated system. While the benefits of this system are great, it takes the officials a while to fill in appropriate answers. Be patient as you wait in line. The official will also take a computer generated photo of you while you are at the counter waiting on your passport stamp. When the official gives you your passport back, procede to the exit door where another official will doublecheck the stamp in your passport. You will then see the baggage claim area. There is often a long wait before you can collect your luggage. There will be some porters there and some posing as porters there. Trolleys are located around baggage claim for the purpose of transporting luggage. The recommendation is for you to use a luggage trolley. If you want to use a porter instead, go ahead and get one. If you decide to use a porter, you will want to pay them in the local currency. Money exchange is available in the airport. You can exchange money there or you can wait and do that in the city. The exchange rate in the city is a little better. After collecting your luggage, walk towards the signs for Green Channel. Airport officials will be waiting to verify your luggage tags. Go through the Green Channel. Do not stop unless you are asked to. You may be asked to put your luggage through the x-ray machine. Exit the airport and there you will see a sea of people, mostly men. This is where your ride will meet you. If you need to take a taxi, the Metro Cab service is available. This service goes by the meter. There is a Metro Cab booth to the right after you exit the airport. The booth attendant can make necessary arrangements for you. You may see police all over the place, as well as various types of guns. These are for normal security. |