Sky Reporter's Afghanistan Visa Took More Than Three Years to Clear

Sky News foreign correspondent Alex Crawford has returned from Afghanistan with a new film documenting the restrictions the Taliban impose on women and girls. Getting there was itself difficult: her visa on this occasion took more than three years to be approved, she said, while travel influencers appear to face a much simpler process.

Key facts

• Crawford's documentary is titled Banished: The Taliban's War On Women.
• She has reported from Afghanistan for 25 years; the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
• Her visa on this trip took more than three years to be approved.
• Access for journalists has become nearly impossible, while the process seems simpler for travel influencers.
• Russia is the only country that has, since 2025, recognised the Taliban as a legitimate government.

What does the film report about conditions in Afghanistan?

The documentary describes international sanctions hitting a civilian population living in extreme poverty, with hospitals that are severely under-resourced. Under Taliban rule, male doctors are not allowed to see female patients and few women are permitted to work, and deaths of mothers and babies in childbirth are among the highest in the world, the film reports.

Women are obliged to conceal their faces, bodies and voices. Beauty salons, which once gave women a place to gather, have been closed, and women are forbidden to visit parks or gyms. They cannot leave the house without permission or travel without a chaperone, and girls are removed from education at the age of 12 and can be married off while still children.

Responding to upbeat travel videos posted by content creators, Crawford said the country's scenery and hospitality are real, but that "half the population is wildly discriminated against and three-quarters are starving".

Who is getting visas, and how long does it take?

Crawford has covered Afghanistan for a quarter of a century, but since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 it has become nearly impossible for journalists to gain access. On her most recent trip, her visa took more than three years to be approved. She said the process seems simpler for travel influencers, which is thought to be part of the Taliban's strategy to improve their reputation.

What are governments doing?

A spokesperson for the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said the UK consistently presses the Taliban to reverse policies restricting the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls, including bans on education, employment and participation in public life, and raises these concerns directly while working with international partners.

Crawford said she is concerned that some countries are beginning to overlook the situation for economic reasons, citing Afghanistan's trillions of dollars of untapped mineral resources. Russia is the only country that has, since 2025, recognised the Taliban as a legitimate government, she said, but others are engaging diplomatically, and she warned of the danger of the situation being normalised.

What this means for travellers

Anyone planning travel to Afghanistan should note that entry rules are applied unevenly: journalists have faced approval times of more than three years, while travel influencers appear to gain access more readily. The film also describes the restrictions women living under the country face, including being unable to leave the house without permission or travel without a chaperone.

Crawford urged readers to write to their MPs about the situation. Her documentary, Banished: The Taliban's War On Women, is available to watch on youtube.com/skynews.