How to apply for Turkey / Turkish Visa from Pakistan

As of August 2013, the Turkish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, requires a first time Turkish visa applicant to appear personally at the Turkish embassy to submit the required documents. There is no interview. The only thing you need to do is stand in front of a bulletproof transaction glass and pass your documents to the visa counselor one by one through a little space at the end of the glass in front of you. The only question he/she might ask is “What is your purpose of visit”?

The pictures below show samples of a bulletproof document transaction window. When I visited, there were 2 people sitting inside. A guy was on the computer and a lady asked us for the documents.

If the applicant has a valid UK or Schengen Visa, then he/she doesn’t have to appear at the embassy even for a first time Turkish visa (but please confirm this when you are about to apply, as the case might change anytime for Pakistanis L).

Documents required for a Tourist Visa for Turkey by a Pakistani Citizen applying from Pakistan:

1. Turkey Visa form (fill it electronically and submit the printout) 
2. Original computerized Passport 06 months valid with, signature and 2 blank pages
3. Passport Photocopy
4. NIC copy (Min 1 year Valid)
5. Request to Embassy for tourist visa on company letter head duly signed
6. 04 fresh picture size (3.5 X 4.5 cm) white backgrounds (duly labeled Name & PPT No.) (Attach one photograph on the photo frame printed on the form, and staple the other 3 with the form)
7. 06 M bank statement with bank letter head and bank stamp
8. Chamber of Commerce Membership certificate
9. NTN certificate
10. Last 3 years income tax Return
11. If partnership business (Partnership Deed)
12. For Children copy of (Nadra “B” Form) Attested Form foreign Affairs
13. If employee last 03 month salary slip or bank statement
14. Medical Certificate (very important)
15. Business Visiting Card
16. Confirmed Tickets to Turkey from Pakistan (Copy)
17. Confirm / Paid Hotel reservations in the cities of Turkey (Copy)

(All these requirements are as of August 2013, please confirm for any additions via Turkish embassy)

1. TURKEY VISA FORM

www.mfa.gov.tr/data/KONSOLOSLUK/visaform.doc 

5. REQUEST TO EMBASSY FOR TOURIST VISA (SAMPLE REQUEST LETTER TO EMBASSY FOR VISA) ON COMPANY LETTERHEAD

7. SIX ‘6’ MONTHS BANK STATEMENT WITH “BANK LETTER HEAD” AND BANK STAMP

Ask your bank to provide a six month bank statement with a covering letter like the following “sample bank covering letter on bank letterhead”

 8. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEMBERSHIP CERTIFICATE

Following is a “sample chamber of commerce certificate of a Karachi based company”

9. NTN CERTIFICATE

A typical “Sample NTN Certificate” looks like this:

13. For Employee, Three Months Salary Slips

14. SAMPLE MEDICAL CERTIFICATE FOR AIR TRAVEL (For Turkey Visa Only)

CALL FOR VISA FROM EMBASSY

I applied on a Monday and received a call on Friday the same week that said:

Mr.Arif, your Visa is OK. You shall come to the embassy any day from (Monday to Friday) and bring along:

a.Passport 
The day i submitted the documents, they gave me back the passport and said that “we will review the docs and call you, then you might bring your’s and your wife’s passport. Your wife doesn’t have to visit again”
Note: A couple of people were asked to submitt their passports on the document submitting day and were given Visa on the same evening at 5 p.m. (I guess it was for those applying for multiple entries, not sure though.)

b.Visa Fee (6000/passport)

c. Original Tickets

d. Hotel Booking Vouchers

e. (and to my SURPRISE) Traveler’s Cheque worth  U.S$5000.
(Your travel agents and friends and friends of friends would tell you that Turkish Embassy never asks for anything like a traveler’s cheque,,,,BUT THEY DID ASK ME TO BRING, though there is no bank in Pakistan that issues traveler’s cheque anymore.

I exchanged PKR 500000 and a few above for $5000 and got a receipt of ownership of those dollars from the money exchange. When I took my passports and reappeared at the embassy, I told the visa officer that traveler’s cheques are not issued in Pakistan. I told him that I have brought the dollars with me and a receipt. He kept the receipt with him and asked me to just show the dollars and that was it.
THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ANYONE THAT I KNOW WHO APPLIED FOR A TURKEY VISA. I hope they don’t ask anyone else to do that. I personally think that since I had only submitted my Employer’s Bank Statement and NOT MINE, that’s why they just wanted to make sure that I had enough money for the stay and other expenses. 

QUESTIONS ASKED AT THE TIME OF ISSUING VISA

What is your purpose of visit

Are you taking your children along

If no, who are they staying with

How many days are you staying in turkey

After all these questions (or no questions at all) they will take your passport and ask you to come back in the evening at 5:00 p.m. to collect the passports with visa.

IMPORTANT NOTES*:

Check the embassy timings on their website. Do not rely on the embassy to receive you phone call even in working hours.

The Turkish embassy as of August  2013 started entertaining the token numbers at 9:30 a.m. in the morning, whereas you can get there at 8 or 8:30 to collect the token as early as possible. The tokens are given till 12 p.m but on days when there are a lot of applicants, the visa officer might not entertain more then a specific number of applicants. So do not rely on last minute token issuance, BE THERE AT 8:15 a.m.

Make sure you have all the photocopies that are mentioned in the requirements. Otherwise you would have to go all the way back to the shuttle tickets counter for a photocopy machine or if you get luck you might find a bank near by and request them to make a copy for you.

The Islamabad embassy shuttle service closes at exactly 4:00 p.m. You should be at the tickets counter till 3:30 so that you can ride the last buss (if you are a special pass then you can take your car right to the particular embassy’s parking. Mostly your travel agent arranges for a special entry, that might cost you even Rs.2000 per car.). The embassy might ask you to collect passport at 5p.m. but PLEASE MAKE SURE what is the time for the last shuttle to the embassy.

HOTELS NEAR EMBASSY

The EMBASSY LODGE in Islamabad is a very nice place to stay. Very Neat rooms, good staff and VERY ECONOMICAL (the rent, the laundry and the FOOD). They charged me 5000 for a night.

THE WAY TO EMBASSY

The entrance for cars with pass.

The entrance for taking the Shuttle Service

For any querry that I may help you with please post it here.

If the document helped you in anyway, Please say JazakAllah!  J