Logistics services in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Logistics services in Afghanistan rely on road and air, as the country is landlocked with no coastline. Seaborne imports and exports use foreign seaports such as Karachi in Pakistan, Bandar Abbas in Iran, Khawr Fakkan in the UAE and Ras Laffan in Qatar, then move by truck to and from Kabul.

There are 68 airports overall and 5 main airports with scheduled services, including Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Khost. Most trade by value is in imports, at about 3.6 billion USD in 2025 versus exports of about 926 million USD, so logistics planning focuses heavily on inbound cargo flows.

Freight forwarders in Afghanistan need to manage cross-border trucking to gateway ports such as Karachi, about 1,405 km and 18.9 hours by road from Kabul, and Bandar Abbas, about 1,906 km and 26.1 hours away. Shippers should check that their provider has experience routing via Pakistan, Iran, the UAE or Qatar, depending on service, costs and risk tolerance.

The 2022 Logistics Performance Index shows an overall score of 1.9, below the world median of 2.7, with infrastructure at 1.7 and tracking & tracing at 1.6. When choosing a freight forwarder or customs broker, verify how they mitigate these weak spots, including shipment visibility and coordination at land borders with Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and China. Strong relationships in main trade lanes with Pakistan, India, the UAE, China, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are useful, as these are major export and import partners. Membership in SAARC and the WTO also shapes how experienced providers structure routings and tariffs for regional trade.

FCL and LCL shipping from and to Afghanistan uses foreign seaports, because Afghanistan has no seaports of its own. Containers typically move FCL or LCL by sea to Karachi in Pakistan, then by road about 1,405 km to Kabul, or via Bandar Abbas in Iran at about 1,906 km. Longer routings through Khawr Fakkan in the UAE or Ras Laffan in Qatar, at about 2,027 km and 2,347 km by road from Kabul, are also options.

Shippers arrange ocean freight with lines serving these gateway ports, then contract cross-border road haulage into Afghanistan. With exports of about 926 million USD and imports of about 3.6 billion USD, seaborne container flows are largely import driven. Route selection between Pakistan, Iran, the UAE and Qatar depends on service levels, transit times and overland haulage conditions.

Rail and road freight in Afghanistan hinges on its land borders with China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Border lengths range from 91 km with China to 2,670 km with Pakistan, plus 921 km with Iran, 1,357 km with Tajikistan, 804 km with Turkmenistan and 144 km with Uzbekistan.

Most international surface freight uses road connections to seaports abroad. Key road corridors link Kabul to Karachi in Pakistan at about 1,405 km and 18.9 driving hours, and to Bandar Abbas in Iran at about 1,906 km and 26.1 hours. Longer road routes connect Kabul to Khawr Fakkan in the UAE at about 2,027 km and Ras Laffan in Qatar at about 2,347 km. These corridors are central for FTL and LTL trucking serving both imports and exports.

Customs clearance in Afghanistan operates within the framework of WTO membership and participation in the SAARC bloc. The country has been a member of the World Customs Organization since 10 August 2004, which supports use of common customs standards.

The average applied tariff is about 5.63 percent. Afghanistan’s LPI customs score in 2022 is 2.1, below the world median of 2.6, so choosing brokers with strong border-handling experience is important. Export border compliance historically took about 5 days, while import border compliance took about 4 days. For any shipment, shippers should at minimum prepare a commercial invoice, packing list and the relevant transport document.