DTSGB (DTS Gilgit-Baltistan): Licensed Tour Operators, Guides and Hotels

What is DTSGB?

DTSGB is the Directorate of Tourist Services, Gilgit-Baltistan — the government body that licenses and regulates every tourism business in the region. If you are looking for its official site, it is at dtsgb.gog.pk.

It sits under the Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism, Sports, Culture, Archaeology and Museums Department, and it does three things that matter:

• Licenses tourism businesses — tour operators, hotels, restaurants, guides and adventure companies. Operating without a licence carries fines and closure.
• Issues permits — trekking, and mountaineering permits for K2, Nanga Parbat and the other 8,000-metre peaks. Trekkers heading for K2 base camp should read our K2 base camp permit guide.
• Publishes public directories of everyone it has licensed, so a traveller can check a business before paying it.

Official DTSGB pages, and what each is for

DTSGB contact details

Two numbers appear in official sources — 05811-920691 and +92-5811-920001. We have listed both rather than pick one, since we could not establish which is current. Try either.

Getting a DTSGB licence: the process for businesses

If you run a tourism business in Gilgit-Baltistan rather than travelling in it, this is the part you need. DTSGB issues five categories of licence.

What the application needs

For accommodation and restaurants, DTSGB lists the following:

• Proof of property ownership or lease
• Building plans, and rate or menu lists
• Owner or manager character certificate
• Staff CNICs and medical certificates
• Business incorporation documents, where applicable

A tour guide applying on FORM-I additionally needs an attested CNIC, academic certificates, an original Police Character Certificate, a medical fitness certificate, proof of training or experience, and a recommendation letter from a registered tour operator.

Processing takes 15 to 30 working days. Fees vary by category and are published on the DTSGB fee schedule — we have not reproduced them here because they change and any figure we published would go stale.

What happens if you operate without one

DTSGB states the penalties as fines, immediate closure and legal action, under the GB Hotel & Restaurant Act 2019 or the Tour Operators Act 2020. The department has also published a notice about businesses selling packages through Facebook and WhatsApp without registration.

Who regulates tour operators in Gilgit-Baltistan

Tourism services in Gilgit-Baltistan are regulated by the Directorate of Tourist Services (DTS), Gilgit-Baltistan, a government body under the Tourism, Sports, Culture, Archaeology and Museums Department. According to the GB Tourism Department, tour operators in the region are required to obtain a licence from the tourism department, comply with departmental safety standards, and provide trained and licensed guides.

Two pieces of legislation underpin this, both named by DTS: the Tour Operators Act 2020 and the GB Hotel & Restaurant Act 2019.

How to verify a tour operator or guide

DTS itself answers this question in its published FAQ: contact DTS directly, request to see the current licence certificate, or check official records. work through these in order.

1. Check the official directories

• DTS Gilgit-Baltistan approved service providers — dtsgb.gog.pk/services/service-providers. This is the regional register for operators, guides, hotels and camping sites licensed in GB.
• NADRA list of registered tour operators — visa.nadra.gov.pk/list-of-tour-operators. The GB Tourism Department's own FAQ directs travellers here for operators registered with DTS Islamabad.
• DTS Islamabad listings — dts.gov.pk publishes travel agency and tour operator listings including a Gilgit-Baltistan section.

2. Ask to see the licence certificate

A licensed operator will have a current certificate issued by DTS and should have no difficulty showing it. Check the name on the certificate matches the business you are dealing with, and check the expiry date. A lapsed licence is not a licence.

3. Confirm your guide is separately licensed

Operator registration and guide licensing are two different things. Under the DTS process a tour guide applies individually using FORM-I, and the documentation required includes an attested CNIC copy, academic certificates, an original Police Character Certificate, a medical fitness certificate, proof of training or experience, and a recommendation letter from a registered tour operator.

That police character certificate and medical fitness requirement is the part useful to know as a traveller. If you are handing your safety to someone on a glacier or a 4,000-metre plateau, ask whether they hold a DTS guide licence rather than assuming the operator's registration covers them.

4. Phone DTS if anything is unclear

DTS publishes a direct line: 05811-920691, Monday to Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm. Their office is at the Tourism & Culture Complex, Shah Rah Quaid-e-Azam, opposite the Supreme Appellate Court, Jutial, Gilgit.

The warning DTS has issued

This is not a theoretical concern. The Department of Tourist Services has published a public notice stating that a number of travel agents, tour operators, hotels, restaurants and tourist guides are operating in Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan, including offering tour packages through Facebook and WhatsApp, without obtaining registration and licensing from the department.

Penalties for operating without a licence, as stated by DTS, include fines, immediate closure, and legal action under the GB Hotel & Restaurant Act 2019 or the Tour Operators Act 2020.

For travellers the practical implication is simple: a well-designed Facebook page or a WhatsApp number is not evidence of registration. Check the register.

Registered hotels, guesthouses and camping sites

Accommodation is licensed by the same body. DTS maintains a public directory of licensed hotels and camping sites in Gilgit-Baltistan:

dtsgb.gog.pk/directory/hotels

The wider directory covering all licensed service providers sits at dtsgb.gog.pk/directory.

What a hotel licence actually requires

Accommodation providers apply using FORM-F. According to DTS, the documentation required includes:

• Proof of property ownership or lease
• Building plans, and rate lists
• Owner or manager character certificate
• Staff CNICs and medical certificates
• Business incorporation documents, where applicable

Processing takes 15 to 30 working days. Restaurants apply separately using FORM-G.

The rate-list requirement is worth knowing about

Because licensed hotels must file rate lists with DTS, a property's advertised rates are not supposed to be invented on the spot. If a hotel quotes you something wildly different from what it displays, you are entitled to ask about the registered rate. And to raise it with DTS if the property is licensed.

This is the single most practical consequence of registration for an ordinary traveller, and almost no travel site mentions it.

What gets inspected

Safety equipment is the item worth caring about at altitude, where heating appliances run through cold nights and power supply fluctuates. It is a reasonable thing to ask about at check-in.

Licence categories DTS issues

DTS lists five categories of tourism business licence:

An operator running trekking trips therefore needs more than a tour operator licence, and the guides working for them need their own. Worth asking about if you are booking anything on a glacier.

Checking a hotel before you book

• Search the DTS hotel directory for the property name
• Ask to see the current licence certificate. DTS names this as a valid verification step
• Check the displayed rate list against what you are being quoted
• Phone DTS on 05811-920691 if something does not add up

For our own independently researched comparison of where to stay, which is separate from, and no substitute for, the official register, see best hotels in Skardu and cheap hotels in Skardu.

Permits: who issues what

Several activities in Gilgit-Baltistan require permits, and a licensed operator can normally arrange these on your behalf. Details below are as published by DTS.

For expeditions, DTS states that online applications should include a route map, team passports, insurance and licensed guide details, and should be submitted 30 days before the expedition. DTS also issued an advisory in July 2025 covering insurance protocols and permit regulations for mountaineers and tour operators. Worth reading if you are planning an expedition. Licensed expedition organisers handle this paperwork as part of a package.

Rules that apply to you as a visitor

DTS publishes visitor regulations alongside operator rules. In summary:

• All foreign tourists must register with local authorities on arrival
• Carry valid identification at all times
• Obtain necessary permits for restricted areas before visiting
• Foreign nationals staying an extended period should register with their embassy or consulate
• Carry all waste until proper disposal is available
• Respect wildlife and maintain a safe distance — relevant on Deosai, where brown bears are present

DTS also states that water sports such as rafting and kayaking are regulated and require licensed guides, and that national park visits require a permit from the Wildlife Department.

Emergency and official contacts

Practical advice when booking

Ask whether fuel is included in a vehicle hire — it usually is not. See petrol stations and where fuel runs out.

• Get the quote and itinerary in writing before paying anything, including whether fuel, permits and guide fees are included
• Confirm insurance. DTS's July 2025 advisory specifically concerns insurance protocols — ask what the operator carries and what it covers
• Check the guide licence separately from the operator licence
• Avoid full advance payment to an operator you cannot verify on an official register
• For remote routes — Deosai, Basho, Askole, Hushe, local route knowledge is a genuine safety factor, not an upsell

Using a licensed operator is one part of travelling safely. For the rest, including roads, altitude and advice for solo and female travellers, see is Skardu safe to travel.

Money, cash and ATMs for visitors to Skardu

Currency exchange in Skardu

There is one dedicated licensed money exchange company that we could verify in Skardu:

Some tour operators, hotels and informal traders also exchange currency. Rates and reliability vary and none of this is verifiable — use the licensed exchange for any significant amount. Always count the notes before you leave.

ATMs in Skardu: which ones work for international cards

Most Pakistani ATMs reject foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard. Bank Alfalah is the one confirmed by a foreign visitor to accept international cards. The others are listed so you know where to find an ATM, not as a guarantee they will take your card.

International card acceptance is based on reported visitor experience, not a bank guarantee. ATMs break, machines run out of cash, and card acceptance changes without notice. The badges above reflect what reviews say, not what the bank promises.

The practical rules for cash in Skardu

Sources and credits

Everything on this page is drawn from official government sources, listed here so you can check it yourself rather than take our word for it:

• Directorate of Tourist Services, Gilgit-Baltistan — licensing process, FORM-I guide requirements, penalties, permit timelines, visitor regulations, contact details
• DTS GB, Regulations, permit types and issuing bodies
• GB Tourism Department — FAQs — operator licensing requirement and the referral to the NADRA register
• Department of Tourist Services, Islamabad — public notice on unregistered operators; e-licensing portal
• NADRA, list of registered tour operators

This page is an independent summary and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official publication of DTS, the Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Department or any government body. Requirements, fees and processing times change. Always confirm current details directly with the relevant authority before travelling. Last reviewed 30 August 2026. If you find anything here out of date, please tell us and we will correct it.

Frequently asked questions