What are the differences between Pakistan e visa and Electronic Travel Authorization?

"Coming to Pakistan has been unbelievable. It is the best thing of my career"- Mickey Arthur (former cricket player). Beautiful landscape, world heritage sites, delicious cuisine, and more attract millions of people per year to Pakistan. Of course, the pandemic ruined all tourism sectors in 2020, but before that, almost 2 million people visited Pakistan. Due to the growth of tourism in Pakistan, visa processes for Pakistan are much easier and mostly online. Considering this, we decided to talk about the Pakistan visa process and ask some questions. In this blog, you will learn: how to apply for Pakistan visa, how much is Pakistan visa fee, what is electronic travel authorization, what are Pakistan visa requirements, what are Pakistan free visa countries, what are Pakistan visa types, how long is Pakistan e visa processing time, how much is Pakistan e visa fee, etc. 

Pakistan Visa Types

The applicants who want to travel to Pakistan must apply for Pakistan visa (if they are not from Pakistan free visa countries). Depending on the planned stay duration, it can be short or long-term. Also, both of these categories have some subcategories (it depends on the purpose of the visit). Short-term visa purposes are:

• Tourism
• Business
• Cultural visits
• Other short-term travels

On the other hand, if the applicant wants to stay in the country more, he must apply for Pakistan visa for a long period. The reasons for such an application can be study, employment, etc.

Pakistan E-visa

After the COVID-19 pandemic, online payments, shopping, and other online processes become much more popular. Maybe it is one of the few positive sides of a pandemic. It is excellent that you have such an online application chance for Pakistan, too. Pakistan E-visa is an online way to obtain a visa to realize a trip to Pakistan. You can apply for it only for tourism and business purposes. What is the Pakistan e visa processing time? The Pakistan e visa processing time changes between 1-3 working days, and it is valid for three months. How much is Pakistan visa fee? Pakistan e visa fee changes between 8-120 USD for a single-entry visa. Also, applicants can pay an additional charge for urgent processing. Processing time and Pakistan e visa fee may vary depending on the residency country. Finally, you will need to meet the Pakistan visa requirements (documents and details). The documents that you will provide are:

• Passport. Validity minimum of six months beyond the date of your departure from Pakistan, signed by the bearer, not older than ten years, one or two blank visa pages, whole pictures securely attached with passport
• Photo. Not older than six months, a frontal view of the face-covering 70-80% of the photo, white background, clear facial features, and eyes, and the size should be 3x4
• Invitation letter or hotel booking
• Some documents that you will need to present in Pakistan: Printed Pakistan e-visa, travel Itinerary (flight reservation, hotel or accommodation reservation with the full address and invitation letter (if you have)

Pakistan Visa on Arrival

Applicants who want to visit Pakistan for tourism purposes can apply for a Visa on Arrival. The duration of the visa will be 30 days, and you will be able to extend the duration on the same website. You should submit your online application at least 2-3 days (48-72 working hours) before your voyage to Pakistan to get your Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). After obtaining your ETA, you can visit Pakistan. Pakistan Tourist Visa on Arrival is not available for all nationalities. There is a name of 50 countries on the list. You can check the complete list in the visa policy section of our website. Some of those countries are:

Angola

Costa Rica

South Korea

Nepal

Singapore

Tunisia

Argentina

Austria

Germany

Lithuania

Oman

Sri Lanka

UAE

Azerbaijan

Pakistan Business E-visa

There are two types of business visas for Pakistan: a Pakistan Business Visa on Arrival and a standard Pakistan Business Visa. As we mentioned above, only selected nationalities can apply for a Visa on Arrival. You will provide the same documents that we mentioned above. The Pakistan Visa on Arrival fee is 20-80 USD for a single-entry visa. It can vary depending on your country and nationality. Furthermore, if your application is urgent, you can pay an extra amount to fasten the process.

Pakistan Business. It gives you permission to enter Pakistan and stay here for a maximum period of your visa validity. It allows to engage in business-related activities (meetings or conferences, conducting or attending the training, conducting internal audits, installing equipment, or performing other temporary services). The main difference between these two types is required documents.

• Application Form. The application form for Pakistan visa must be completed in English and signed and dated by the applicant
• Passport. Validity minimum of six months beyond the date of your departure from Pakistan, signed by the bearer, not older than ten years, one or two blank visa pages, whole pictures securely attached with passport
• Two photos. Not older than six months, a frontal view of the face-covering 70-80% of the photo, white background, clear facial features, and eyes, and the size should be 3x4
• ID Card Copy. Validity minimum of three months beyond the date of your departure from Pakistan
• Residence permit/visa copy. Validity minimum of three months beyond the date of your departure from Pakistan
• Photocopies. The main page of the passport and copies of previous visas
• Travel Itinerary. The flight reservation, hotel, or accommodation reservation with the full address
• Proof of occupation. Letter from local employer or sponsor
• Proof of Financial Means. A personal bank statement indicating your financial movements (for at least three last months), credit card, cash, traveler's cheques, payslips, proof of employment
• Documents showing the nature of the business trip and the existence of business relations

The common processing time for a Pakistan Business visa is 5-20 working days and the fee changes between 25-100 USD. There can be some differences depending on the country.

Pakistan Family Visit E-visa

If you have friends or family members who live in Pakistan, you can visit them via getting a Pakistan Family Visit Visa. The whole of the details and the documents are the same as in other short-term visa types. Additional documents may be required if you will have a companion who is under 18. You can check the list of papers on the visa policy section of our website. The processing time for the Pakistan Family Visit Visa changes between 5-20 working days. How much is Pakistan visa fee? The charge is 20-100 USD for foreign nationals. The payment and processing may vary depending on your nationality or your country of submission.

Pakistan Work E-visa

Applicants that want to live and work in Pakistan can apply for Pakistan Work Visa. The validity of this visa lasts for a year, and the applicant can extend the validity yearly. The application form for Pakistan visa and other required documents are almost the same (check the website). There are just some additional documents:

• Original employment letter from the applicant's employer in Pakistan: A letter from the current employer confirming the transfer and approving the absence of the applicant should be provided in the case of the international transfer of the employee
• CV, details about the career, certificates, diplomas, and so on
• Proof of accommodation
• Covering letter on organization's letterhead
• SECP registration letter of the company
• Company profile
• FBR NTN certificate of the company
• Recommendation letter by BOI/MOI (in case of extension)

The average processing time for a Pakistan Work visa is four weeks, and the fee changes between 20-150 USD.

Pakistan Student E-visa

Foreigners who get an acceptance letter from universities and colleges in Pakistan can apply for a Pakistan Student Visa. The validity of this visa is two years, and applicants have a chance to extend the duration. The processing time and the charge is the same as other long-term visas. Additional documents are:

• Confirmed university admission (or bonafide letter)
• NOC from HEC/Economic Affairs Division/IPC/Health Ministry/Education Ministry

Pakistan E-visa and Electronic Travel Authorization

One of the issues that make applicants confused is the term electronic travel authorization. Most people ask: what is electronic travel authorization, and what are the differences between Pakistan e visa and Electronic Travel Authorization? eTA is a more simplified way of obtaining a visa and has more options, while an e-visa is more limited. First of all, we should say that electronic travel authorization is not a visa. It simply allows the applicant to travel to Pakistan and seek a Pakistani Visa on Arrival at the Visa On Arrival Counter of FIA. The applicant will get this paper via email. Keep in mind that you get electronic travel authorization 48-72 working hours before your trip, however, e-visa processing time is 7-30 days depending on your duration of stay. One more difference between Pakistan e-visa and eTA is that only 50 nationalities are eligible for eTA and the rest of nationalities need to obtain e-visa except Armenia, India, Israel, and Somali. You can checklist of nationalities eligible for eTA here.

How to apply for Pakistan Visa?

Finally, we reached the last question of today's topic. How to apply for Pakistan visa? There are several ways to make your application. As we mentioned above, there is an E-visa which you can apply for online. If it is not available in your country, you can go to Pakistan visa application centers, embassies, or consulates, whichever accepts visa applications in your country of residence. If none of them exist in your country, you need to apply to the nearest embassy or consulate to your location.

* Please consider that information may be changed.