Kabul Entry Requirements

Kabul announces itself before the cabin door swings open. Jet-fuel tang mingles with thin mountain air as the plane drops over dusty brown ridges. Inside the low terminal, fluorescent tubes buzz above rows of scarred plastic seats. Immigration snakes beneath faded posters of Afghan peaks. Rubber stamps clack against tiled walls. Olive-clad officers bend over passports, faces lit by tired desk lamps. Have every paper ready, passport, visa, hotel confirmation, a typed itinerary. Crisp, unfolded dollar notes smooth any sudden fees. Outside, diesel breath replaces pressurized cabin air. Cabbies shout fares in Dari and Pashto while the city lights blink awake in its valley bowl.