If you are an Indian or Pakistani who wishes to visit Kartarpur Gurdwara, here is an ultimate guide to help you plan your trip.
History of Kartarpur Gurdwara & Corridor
The Kartarpur Corridor is immensely important for Sikhs, living in India and Pakistan. It is the holy place for the Sikhs who are strong followers Baba Guru Nanak. The friendship between the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and Navjot Singh Sidhu turned out as the fulfillment of the dream for Sikhs when Pakistani Govt. indicated and then worked on the inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor.
It is believed that Kartarpur was founded by Guru Nanak himself, the first Guru in Sikhism. After the partition of India, Kartarpur was geographically placed in the Pakistan side, while India got Gurdaspur on the left bank of the River Ravi.
A complete guide to Visit Kartarpur Gudhwara, also known as Kartarpur corridor
After the opening of this corridor as a friendly gesture by Pakistan, the Sikhs from across the border can now easily visit here and so a huge number of visitors are expected every year to be on the count specifically on the celebration of Baba Guru Nanak’s birthday.
Here is a comprehensive guide to reaching the Kartarpur Corridor with all ease:
Who is allowed to Visit Kartarpur Corridor?
- The Indian passport holders can visit Kartarpur however, foreigners are not allowed.
- The Indians of any religion can use the Corridor and Gurudwara. It’s not limited to Sikhs.
- Pakistanis can also visit Kartarpur Sahib and they do not need to use the Corridor but they must carry their CNIC card.
Get yourself Registered
The Indian and Pakistani authorities will scrutinize every single person while crossing the corridor following tight security. You will have to give your personal information in detail during this process. As per the procedure, they can ask basic questions like name, travel date, who are you traveling with, father’s name, workplace, and office location.
For the pilgrims coming for India, you can get yourself registered online and will be convenient for you if the registration thing gets done at least 10 days before. Here’s what you’ll need before filling in the online form:
- Indian Passport or OCI
- Your blood type
- Name of your local police station (if Indian)
- Scan of your passport in PDF
- Passport photo in JPG format
For Pakistanis, the process is simple and all you need is to have your CNIC with you for verification.
Complications for Group Registration (Indians)
If the pilgrims from India are traveling to reach Kartarpur Corridor in a group, the group leader must go through the registration process inclusive of the whole group individually. A group can be comprised of only 5 members total, including the leader.
Step 1: The group leader should register and select “Travelling as Group” then provide everyone’s names and passport numbers.
Step 2: Every person in the group must register individually too but they shouldn’t select “Yes” for “Travelling as Group” as it should be done by the group leader only.
Confirmation after Registration
The registration process is all that is required for the pilgrims from India to go through and for that of Pakistani visitors; it only needs them to have CNIC verification. Once you get done with the process, you will receive an SMS and email confirmation.
Successful applicants from across the border will then receive a travel confirmation 4-days before the date they’ve applied to visit Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib.
Pilgrims must carry the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), along with their passport, when they arrive at the Passenger Terminal Building.
Make sure you book your travel with a full-refund option, just in case you are denied entry. This system has been formulated to ensure security by all means to maintain the mobility of pilgrims with all ease not only from within Pakistan but also from India.
Entry Fee for Kartarpur Corridor (for Indians)
Pilgrims must pay $20 to Pakistan when entering the corridor. For everyone coming from across the border, there is a currency conversion booth at the Pakistan checkpoint. You can convert INR to USD there. For Pakistani visitors, an entry fee of Rs.200 must be paid at the entrance of Kartarpur Corridor.
How to reach Kartarpur Corridor Passenger Terminal Building?
For the pilgrims coming from India via Amritsar, the Passenger Terminal Building is nearest to this city. From Amritsar, you will need to reach the town of Dera Baba Nanak where the Passenger Terminal Building is located. It’s about 48.3 km from Amritsar and will take you about 70 minutes to reach.
What to do at the Visit to Kartarpur Corridor?
Apart from paying a visit to the shrine of Baba Guru Nanak, the pilgrims, as well as the other visitors from Pakistan, can go to the nearby lookout point at the Passenger Terminal from where you can see the India-Pakistan Border Fence, Pakistan’s Passenger Terminal, and Kartarpur Sahib. Moreover, there is a Gurudwara offering langar and various street food vendors around the corridor entrance.
Best Time to Visit Kartarpur Corridor
It is better to visit during the early hours as you can have all the ease to park the car and to pay a visit to the shrine as well. By 10 am, the area gets busy and congested with the devotees coming to visit the viewpoint.
Time to Get to Kartarpur from Indian Passenger Terminal
It takes 45 minutes to reach Kartarpur Sahib so if you reach their timely, there is nothing troublesome to face during the visit. That includes immigration on both sides and currency conversion. For Pakistani visitors, you should also be an early bird to reach there for a peaceful time.
Means to Travel to Kartarpur Corridor for Indian Pilgrims
The Indian pilgrims can travel to Kartarpur Corridor by 3 means as follows:
By air – The nearest airport to Gurdaspur is the Amritsar airport, which is well-connected to the rest of India. If you are traveling from Delhi, it will take you about 1 hour 5 minutes. Another airport that is located close to Gurdaspur is the Adampur airport in the city of Jalandhar, though flight operations are less here as it is mainly a military airport.
By train – Gurdaspur railway station is well-connected with all major stations in Punjab, as well as to Delhi and Dalhousie.
By road – You can always drive to Gurdaspur. It is 462 km away from Delhi, 75 km from Amritsar, 216 km away from Chandigarh, and about 100 km away from Jalandhar.
Here are some latest photos of Kartarpur Corridor and the map of Gurdwara
Information for Pakistanis
If you are a Pakistani and wondering about fees or if you would be allowed inside the Gurdwara, the amazing news is that you would have an easy access to Gurdwara but you have to carry your CNIC with you all the time. Upon registering, you would be provided a visitor’s card that is mandatory to wear throughout the tour.
Best time to visit Kartarpur Gurdwara (Pakistanis)
The best time to reach Gurdwara is before 1:00 PM because you would need 2 hours minimum to go inside the Gurdwara and one hour fifty mins to walk around. The official time is till 6:00 pm but it won’t be possible for anyone to go in after 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm.
