Photo by Waqar Mujahid on Unsplash
🇵🇰 East & South Asia
Moving to Pakistan from the US
Pakistan for American digital nomads: no dedicated nomad visa, and a moderate tax regime once you become tax resident. Tourist entry for US passports: e-visa available, typically up to 90 days (extendable), Pakistan has actively liberalized tourist e-visa access in recent years.
East & South Asia 🧾 moderate tax
Pakistan in numbers
At a glance
| 🛂 Tourist entry | 🇺🇸US90d🇪🇺EU90d🇬🇧UK90d🇨🇦CA90d🇦🇺AU90d |
| 🛂 Digital nomad visa | No dedicated digital nomad visa |
| 🏠 Path to permanent residency | Not a standard nomad path |
| 🌍 What gets taxed | Worldwide income Once you are a tax resident it taxes your income from anywhere in the world, including pay from US clients. |
| 📈 Top income-tax rate | 35% Brackets: Up to 35% top |
| ✨ Special regime | None specific to nomads |
| 🇺🇸 US tax treaty | ❌ No US treaty No treaty, the only protection from being taxed twice is the US Foreign Tax Credit. |
| ⚖️ Family-law exposure (payer) | Obligation 4/10 · cross-border collection 2/10 |
| 🗣️ English | Low proficiency (EF index 493) National average from the EF English Proficiency Index 2025; big cities and tourist areas usually run higher. |
| 🏥 Healthcare access | Low (WHO coverage index 56/100, 2023) How well essential care reaches the population. Most Americans abroad use private care and insurance; this measures the public system. |
| 👩 Women's safety & rights | Very low (WPS index 0.481) Women, Peace and Security Index 2023/24 (Georgetown GIWPS): safety, legal rights and inclusion. |
| 🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ equality | Low (Equaldex index 34/100) Equaldex Equality Index (equaldex.com, CC BY-SA): laws plus public attitudes. |
| 🛡️ Safety (hard stats) | Homicide 4.33/100k · road deaths 11.9/100k |
Full detail with ratings and sources: visas & residency · tax breakdown · legal exposure · safety & crime
Data last updated · Source: Compiled from the visas, tax and legal datasets
Cities we cover in Pakistan
Photos from Unsplash: Islamabad by Waqar Mujahid on Unsplash
Month-by-month weather: Islamabad climate
⭐ Pakistan on our best-of lists
⛩️ Other countries in East & South Asia
Moving to Pakistan: common questions
Can Americans move to Pakistan?
There is no dedicated nomad or passive-income visa, so most Americans need work, study, investment or family routes. Path to permanent residency: Not a standard nomad path.
How long can Americans stay in Pakistan without a visa?
About 90 days visa-free as a tourist on a US passport. Pakistan has no dedicated digital nomad visa, so living there longer needs another residence route.
Will I pay tax in Pakistan as an American?
Local tax applies once you are resident, softened by lower rates or a special regime. What gets taxed: worldwide income; the top rate is 35%. As an American you also keep filing with the IRS wherever you live; the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and foreign tax credits usually stop you paying twice.
What does it cost to live in Pakistan?
About $685 a month for one person, all-in (everyday costs plus a 1-bedroom city-centre rent), across the 1 city we cover.
Is English spoken in Pakistan?
Not widely. The country ranks "low" on the EF English Proficiency Index; plan to learn the basics of the local language.
Is Pakistan safe?
Pakistan's homicide rate is 4.33 per 100,000 people a year (the US is roughly 6), and road deaths are 11.9 per 100,000. On our country scale that's "mixed".