Guide
A visa or a stay in Pakistan
for someone in my family
A spouse who is not Pakistani, a child born abroad who holds another passport, a relative who wants to come and stay: all of them need permission to enter and to remain. Since 2021 every application goes through one online system. This page shows the shape of it.
Where this applies This page covers entry to Pakistan for people who are not Pakistani citizens. What the country you live in requires for the return journey is a separate matter.
What this is about
Pakistan’s visa system is online, and applications are made there rather than at a mission. Among the categories is a family visit visa, which the system describes as being for foreign citizens of Pakistani origin and their spouses. Other categories cover business, work and tourism.
The difficulty is rarely the form. It is the papers behind it: proof of the relationship, proof of where you live, and a sponsor in Pakistan. When one of those is missing or in the wrong form, the application stalls.
What has to be in place
What has to be clear.
Which category fits: family visit, business, work, or something else.
Proof of the relationship: the marriage certificate, the family record.
Who in Pakistan will act as the reference or sponsor.
Note Your advocate confirms which of these apply to your case.
The documents you will be asked for
What the system usually asks for.
- A valid passport.
- Proof of the relationship, attested if it was issued abroad.
- Proof of residence in the country you live in.
- The sponsor’s identity document in Pakistan.
How an advocate helps from where you are
What an advocate does.
- Gets the Pakistani papers behind the application in order: the marriage certificate, the family record, the attestations.
- Acts as the point of contact in Pakistan where the application asks for one.
- Deals with an extension or a refusal, which is where most of the trouble is.
What to ask before you agree
- Which category fits my family member, and why?
- Which Pakistani papers have to be attested, and can you get that done?
- If the application is refused or an extension is needed, what can you do?
- What do you need from me, and by when?
- What is your fee, and what is not included in it?
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Also relevant
Words you will meet
- family visit visa
- The category for foreign citizens of Pakistani origin and their spouses.
- online visa system
- The system all applications go through since 2021.
- sponsor
- The person in Pakistan named in the application.
Sources
Official pages read on 11 September 2026. The page says only what these say, and what an advocate does; nothing specific to your case.
Checked
11 September 2026
Pakistan. Sources listed at the end of the page.