Visitor's visa

A visitor's visa allows you to stay in Norway or other countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days over a period of 180 days.

Citizens of Pakistan and Afghanistan are required to have a visitor’s visa to go to Norway. Pakistani citizens holding an official or diplomatic passport are not required to have a visa when they travel to Norway. The Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is responsible for processing applications from Pakistan.

If you plan to visit more than one Schengen country in the course of one trip, or if you plan several separate trips within a period of two months, you must submit your application to the embassy or consulate of the country that is your main destination based on the length of your stay, or the purpose of stay.

If you plan to visit several Schengen countries and the main destination cannot be determined, you must submit your application to the embassy or consulate of the country that is your first point of entry to the Schengen area.

The current EU rules on short-stay visas were implemented worldwide the 2 February 2020.

SCHENGEN AREA

Before you apply

You should apply well in advance and as a rule no later than 15 days before you plan to travel. Due to the courier sending of documents in some countries, we recommend that you apply at least 4 weeks prior to your planned departure.
You may submit your application up to six months before your planned departure, or up to nine months for seafarers.
We recommend that you do not buy your ticket until a visa has been granted.
You must register your application online before you can hand in the required documentation.
When you hand in your application, you will be asked to provide fingerprints, unless your fingerprints have been collected within the last 59 months.

In order to apply for a visa from Pakistan you must either be a citizen of Pakistan or Afghanistan, or legally reside here.

In Pakistan applicants for visas submit their applications at visa application centers run by an external service provider, VFS Global (Gerry's). Please note that during busy times it may take several weeks to get an appointment to hand in your visa application. We strongly disadvise to pay intermediaries or agents claiming to provide visa appointments.

VFS Global will send the visa application by courier mail to the Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi which is responsible for the further processing.

Advice against using visa agents

Gather the necessary documentation

The checklist gives an overview of the documents you need to hand in to start the application process.

If you want someone to act on your behalf in connection with your application, you must authorise this person to do so. Please visit the UDI website for more information and the relevant form: Power of Attorney.

Applicants are required to hand in all the necessary documents depending on the purpose of the journey. Please note that if you do not hand in all the documents, your application may be rejected. The Norway checklist is as per the Common Harmonized List of supporting documents for visa applicants from Pakistan.

The applicant has to hand in all the documents in clear, readable A4 format paper. Documents with staples, pins or glue will not be accepted. If any of your documents are not in A4 format, please hand in a copy of the document in A4.

If any of your documents are in original (such as Nikkah Namah, Birth Certificate etc...), you will have to provide a good quality copy in A4 format.

Checklist for short stay visa applications from Pakistan (2023)

Checklist-visa-EUEEA-family-members

Online registration and payment

Before you can hand in your passport and other documentation, you must register your application online and pay the fee. If this is the first time you are registering an application in the portal, you will need to create a user account first.

Once you have completed the application form online and paid the fee, you will receive confirmation by email with a copy of your application form (schengen.pdf), application summary and payment receipt attached. You need to print the application form (schengen.pdf) and submit it together with the other required documentation

Begin your online registration

Application fee

The visa fee is EUR 80. Children under six years do not pay a fee. Children from the age of six years and below the age of 12 years shall pay a visa fee of EUR 40. Please visit the UDI website for information about other groups exempted from the visa fee.

Please note that you pay the fee when registering the application in the portal. Applicants exempted from the visa fee requirement will have the fee refunded.

If you are a applying for a visa as a family member to an EU/EEA citizen you are not required to pay the application fee.

Service fee at the Visa Application Centre

In Pakistan applications are received by an external service provider, VFS Global, which charges a service fee. The service fee is payable online at the time of booking an appointment. Please note that an additional courier fee will also be added.

Optional services provided at the Visa Application Centre

Certain additional services offered by VFS are not included in the service fee. Please note that these services are optional. For more information please visit the VFS Global website.

Hand in your documents

You must bring with you:

a printout of the application form (schengen.pdf) received by email;
the checklist and the documents listed.
Your passport (must be valid for at least three months after your planned departure from the Schengen area)
Photograph (must comply with international standards)
Your travel health insurance policy
- You should be covered for at least EUR 30 000, including expenses in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, treatment in medical emergencies and/or emergency hospital treatment, and death
- Your insurance should be valid in all Schengen countries
- It should cover the whole of your planned stay in the Schengen area
- It should as a rule be purchased in your home country. If this is not possible it may be purchased in another country.

The application process will start once all the required documents have been submitted.

There are three Visa Application Centres where you can hand in your application. Please note that you are required to book an appointment to hand in your application. You can book online through the Attend a centre | vfsglobal or by calling the VFS helpline, +92 (0) 518439383

There may be up to 15 days waiting period to get an appointment to hand in your application.

Islamabad
Park Road,
Chattha Bakhtawar,
Chak Shahzad,
Islamabad

Lahore
20 Ex American Centre Building
Opposite Ganga Ram Hospital
Queens Road
Lahore

Karachi
Bahria Complex IV
4th Floor
Main Chaudhary Khaliq UZ Zaman Road
Gizri, Clifton
Karachi

Important message to Afghan applicants

Processing time

The processing time for applications is normally up to 15 calendar days after the embassy or consulate has received the application. In some cases, applications are sent to the Directorate of Immigration (UDI), and the processing time in these cases may be up to 45 calendar days.

Applicants in Pakistan will in most cases get the result of their application within 15 days after the embassy in Abu Dhabi has received the application. If we have to verify or ask you for additional documents or information it will take more time to process your application.

Note that the courier sending time between the VFS visa application centre and the Embassy in Abu Dhabi must be counted in addition and could be up to 7-10 days.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is committed to provide the best possible user service within our legal framework. This also means processing cases on time. In order to do this, we rely on applicants to submit all the mandatory documents on time when they meet for their appointments at the VFS Global/Gerry's offices (see checklist above). It also means that we are unable to accommodate for passport withdrawals while the application is under consideration.

If these conditions are not met, the processing time will increase, and could also lead to a refusal. Therefore, we strongly advise applicants to submit all mandatory documents as per the checklists. In some cases where more scrutiny is needed, or the case is transferred to the UDI, the processing time may be up to 45 calendar days.

On this page you will find the latest Visa Status Update.

The result of your application

You will be notified by email or telephone from the VFS centre when your application has been processed.

The result can be picked up at the Visa Application Centre, where the application was submitted.

If you have been granted a visa, a sticker will be placed in your passport. Please check the duration of stay specified on the sticker. The duration of stay indicates how many days you are allowed to stay in the Schengen area.

If your application has been rejected, you will receive a written explanation as to why it was rejected. You can appeal the decision.

For feedback on service, you may contact us by regular post or email, visa.abudhabi@mfa.no

On arrival

When you cross the border into the Schengen area, you will have to present:

your passport with the visa sticker
proof that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay (e.g. cash or a credit card). If you have a guarantee form, you should also bring a copy of this with you.
documentation showing the purpose of your visit, such as an invitation, hotel reservation, etc.
a return or round trip ticket if you are visiting the Schengen area for tourist purposes or private reasons

You may be asked to provide fingerprints by the border control officer, in which case these will be compared with the fingerprints provided when you applied for your visa.
As long as your visa is valid, you can travel around freely in the Schengen area, or in the specific Schengen countries covered by the visa. If you leave the Schengen area, for example to visit the UK or Svalbard, you will need a multiple entry visa.