Pakistan business visa

The Business visa is for businesspeople visiting Pakistan for meetings, trade and similar commercial purposes. The portal treats Business Visa List (BVL) countries and non-BVL countries differently, and also keeps a shorter list of business-friendly countries, among them China, the United Kingdom, the UAE, Malaysia and Türkiye. Foreigners travelling in connection with the Reko Diq mining project apply under the same category with an invitation from the Reko Diq Mining Company.

Besides a photograph and passport, you upload proof that the inviting company is registered (an SECP or chamber of commerce certificate) and one of three letters: a recommendation letter from the chamber of commerce and industry of your own country, an invitation letter from a business organisation recommended by the relevant trade organisation in Pakistan, or a recommendation from an honorary investment counsellor of the Board of Investment or a Pakistani commercial attaché.

The invitation letter route now runs through Pakistan’s E-Business Invitation Letter System, which the portal names as the place to obtain the required letter. The chamber route means a recommendation from a chamber of commerce and industry in your own country.

The fee is set by the portal's calculator from the number of entries and the country you apply from, and is paid online by card when you submit. Check the calculator for your country before applying; amounts vary between countries.

First-time entry visas for BVL countries are processed in 24 working hours; non-BVL applications and all extensions take four weeks. The Reko Diq sub-category is processed in 24 working hours for every nationality. A business visa may be issued for up to five years and allows multiple entries, but it must first be used within six months of issue. If officials send the application back for review, you have seven days to resubmit or it is cancelled, and the processing time starts again from resubmission.

If you are in Pakistan on a valid business visa you can apply for an extension online, uploading the visa and your entry stamp under "Other". Investors use the separate Business-Investor or SIFC visas. Short trips can also be made with a Business Visa on Arrival, granted for 30 days after an Electronic Travel Authorization is obtained online.