Getting a Pakistan visa in The Hague

A quick guide on getting a Pakistan visa in The Hague, the Netherlands. Includes a document checklist, information on how to get to the embassy, and other useful information about applying for a Pakistan visa in The Hague.

February 2021 update: Pakistan is no longer issues visas at embassies and consulates. You have to apply for an E-visa to travel to Pakistan.  You can apply for the Pakistan e-visa here. For more info on getting a Pakistan e-visa, check out this guide.

Getting a Pakistani visa in the Netherlands is quite easy. However, there are a few things you need to arrange before you can head over to the embassy. Below you can find all the information you need to get a Pakistani visa in The Hague as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Before you apply for a Pakistan visa in The Hague: a letter of invitation

To apply for a Pakistan visa, you need a letter of invitation (LOI). In this case, a letter of invitation is a letter by a recognized tour agency in Pakistan, inviting you to Pakistan because you booked a “tour” with them. In reality, you don’t actually need to book any kind of tour with these companies, unless, you know, you really just can’t resist.

If you’re headed to Pakistan, make sure to check out this guide to travel to Pakistan with all the info you need!

There are several reputable companies offering LOI services. These include:

• Adventure Planners Pakistan
• Snowland Tours
• The Karakoram Bikers

The price for an LOI fluctuates between $60 and $90, depending on your wishes and the tour operator you choose. We suggest contacting all three to see what the best deal is.

To apply for an LOI, you to give the following information:

• Arrival and departure dates to and from Pakistan. We assumed a 30-day trip.
• Your planned itinerary – this doesn’t have to be followed to the letter, but it helps if you make it realistic as possible. Talk to your LOI provider to learn more.
  • Avoid mentioning places like Peshawar, Chital, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Balochistan,  entering via China (Sost).
•  1 copy of your passport information page.
•  Residential address.
•  Occupation and office address. Avoid mentions of journalism, press, governments, etc. If you’re currently unemployed, use the data from your previous employer.

Getting an LOI from a friend in Pakistan

Pakistani citizens can also issue you a letter of invitation. So if you have friends in Pakistan, it’s possible to get your LOI for free. An LOI by a Pakistani citizen has to have the following information:

• Name and CNIC number of the inviting party.
• Name and passport number of the applicant.
• Dates of travel.
• Phone number and address of the inviting party.
• Copy of ID card of the inviting party (front and back).

Before you get an LOI from a Pakistani friend, make sure both of you realize what this means. Your sponsor, as Pakistan calls it, will be responsible for you during your time in Pakistan. If anything happens to you, or you get into trouble, your sponsor can get into trouble too. We suggest you only get an LOI from someone you know and trust.

Before you apply for a Pakistan visa in The Hague: a plane ticket

According to the visa application form, you need a copy of a plane ticket or booking confirmation of your flight to Pakistan. However, the embassy in the Netherlands doesn’t ask for this, and if they do you can tell them you’re traveling overland. Just don’t mention it if you’re traveling from Iran to Pakistan, say you’re traveling from India instead.

Applying for a Pakistan visa in The Hague

Once you have all of your documents in order, it’s time to head to the embassy!

The embassy is located on Amaliastraat 8, and is open from Monday to Friday, with consular hours from 09:00-12:00. The embassy is also open on every first Saturday of the month, but as found we out, they cannot issue visas on Saturdays.

You can get there from The Hague central station (Den Haag Centraal) or The Hague Holland Spoor (Den Haag HS). From central, take either bus 22 or 24 to Mauritskade. From Holland Spoor, take tram 1 to Mauritskade. It’s a one minute walk from there.

Application checklist

• A filled-in application form, in capital letters. You can download the form here.
• Two passport size photos. Apparently, these need to have a blue background, but the clerk at the embassy didn’t seem to care that ours were grey.
• A copy of your passport.
• A copy of your residence permit (if applicable).
• Visa application fee. €72 for most European nationals, €130 for UK nationals.

According to the application form, it takes at least five working days to process the visa application. However, under normal circumstances, you’ll get your visa the same day. We initially went on Saturday, but after waiting for about half an hour, the clerk asked us to come back on Monday, since his boss wasn’t there and he wasn’t authorized to issue tourist visas. Not all applications have to be present for the visa application.

If you come during regular working hours, expect to wait anywhere between 10 minutes and two hours for the visa to be issued. The visa fee is €72 for Dutch and other EU nationals and €130 for UK nationals. If you’re applying with an LOI provided by a personal friend, expect to be questioned about how you know this person.

The visas are valid for 45 days of travel in Pakistan and can be used to enter the country for three months from the date of approval. If you wish to travel to Pakistan for a longer period, it is possible to extend the visa in Pakistan. 

So there you have it, a quick guide to applying for a Pakistan visa in The Hague, the Netherlands. We’ll update this post as new information becomes available.

Heading to Pakistan? Make sure to check our budget report to see how much it costs to backpack in Pakistan.