When at Wagah Border, ever wanted to cross the border casually like casually crossing a state, or crossing a street but you somehow control that thought from the fear of getting shot down. The thought of getting shot down is scary right?!
But thanks to India-Pakistan's mutual decision of letting Indian Pilgrims enter Pakistan to seek the blessing from Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur at Pakistan side. Crossing the border through Kartarpur Corridor is now a piece of cake and that too without getting your passport stamped. But this piece of cake surely requires a lot of baking too.
How To Reach?
The trip starts from Amritsar. You can take a cab directly to the corridor entrance which takes like 1:15 min from Amritsar or a bus to Dera Baba Nanak Gurudwara (1:30 min) and there's another bus from the Gurudwara to the Corridor. After that you'll have to pass through immigration once reached
Pre-Requisite Procedure:
- You need to register at the Kartarpur Corridor website atleast a 15-30 days before the date of arrival https://prakashpurb550.mha.gov.in/kpr/basicDetailsa
- Select the date of arrival, enter your passport and other details and complete the form.
- Be sure you follow up with email and text notifications.
- Be ready for police verification.
- Once permitted do carry your Arrival Ticket, Passport, RT-PCR Certificate, Double Vaccination Certificate, Aadhaar Card/Driving License. The officials will stamp your Arrival Ticket, not your passport.
- And do carry 20 USD as an entry fee (not INR) otherwise you'll have to pay the conversion fee there for your INRs which is way too high.
So what are you waiting for, it's been several months since the corridor is open. Once you're there you would feel a sense of thrill when it says 'Welcome to Pakistan' with collective feeling of nationalism and brotherhood. You can carry sweets as well if someone you know is coming from the Pakistan side. You can shop there as well, there's a small shopping street just beside the Kartarpur Gurdwara and you can use your INRs there for buying souvenirs for home.
As of now, other nationalities' passport holders are not allowed from the Indian side but make sure to keep the check on the latest policies.
Disclaimer- You're not allowed to go beyond the Kartarpur Gurudwara.
Below is my experience of visiting Kartarpur, Pakistan and meeting the amazing people of Pakistan from the global community.