Pakistan Online Visa: How a Pakistani Sponsor Verifies in PakID, and the Family Visit Visa (2026 Guide)

NADRA

Last Updated: October 2026

A foreign spouse or relative applies for a Pakistani visa on the Pakistan Online Visa System at visa.nadra.gov.pk, or in the PakID app, and the Pakistani citizen sponsoring them may have to verify themselves in PakID. The system’s own Sponsor Biometric Verification Guide says sponsor verification, wherever applicable, is mandatory for processing the application: you sign in to PakID, open MBVS, choose Visa Sponsor Verification, verify your face, and enter your citizen number with the application’s Reference Tracking ID. NADRA built the system with the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs, but the visa decision is the Government of Pakistan’s.

This guide is written for the Pakistani side of a visa application. It uses the Pakistan Online Visa System’s pages, its FAQ, its mobile application guide and its sponsor verification guide, NADRA’s Domestic Projects page and NADRA’s Anti Fraud and Scams statement, all read on 16 October 2026. We did not make or sponsor an application.

Who does what

Who	Their part
The applicant	The foreigner applying for the visa. Applies online or in the PakID app, uploads documents and pays the fee.
The sponsor	The Pakistani citizen sponsoring the applicant. Completes biometric verification in the PakID app, wherever it applies.
NADRA	Built and runs the system, which NADRA says was implemented with the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the revised Visa Policy 2019 and now includes facial recognition. NADRA counts 5.03 million applications processed, 1.2 million of them in 2025.
The Government of Pakistan	Decides. The site says issuance of a visa is the prerogative of the Government of Pakistan, exercised through designated authorities.

How the sponsor verifies in PakID

The system’s Sponsor Biometric Verification Guide sets out these steps:

1. Install PakID from Google Play or the App Store.
2. Register. Select NADRA Services and Register, choose Pakistani National (CNIC/NICOP/POC) as your nationality and enter your details. The password must be at least 12 characters with an upper case letter, a lower case letter, a number and a special character, and must be changed every 30 days.
3. Confirm the code sent to your registered email or mobile number.
4. Complete the mandatory biometric verification that follows your first login.
5. Open MBVS. Sign in through NADRA Services, choose the MBVS option and select Visa Sponsor Verification.
6. Verify your face. Enter your CNIC and complete Facial Liveness.
7. Link the application. Enter the Citizen No and the Reference Tracking ID, and submit.

The guide shows a confirmation screen after a successful verification, and a different message if the sponsor is already verified or the application ID is invalid. If PakID will not accept your fingerprints or face, our guide to failed PakID verification covers what NADRA says to do, and our PakID app guide covers signing in.

The family visit visa

The system’s Family Visit Visa page says this visa is for foreign citizens of Pakistani origin and their spouses, to visit and stay with their family members. Applicants of Afghan origin are asked to use this category only if their spouse is Pakistani.

Point	What the page says
Validity	Up to 5 years, with up to 1 year’s stay on each entry.
Documents	Photograph, passport, POC or similar, marriage certificate, birth certificate, CNIC or NICOP. Proof of legal residence if you are applying from a third country.
Extension	Up to 2 years for foreigners of Pakistani origin, and yearly or as per the rules for other foreigners. You must hold a valid Pakistani visa and be in Pakistan.
Processing	7 to 10 working days for a first visa or an extension, and 4 weeks for Afghan and Somali passport holders.
Sent back for review	The processing time restarts from resubmission, and the application is cancelled if not resubmitted within 7 days.

The page also points out that a person of Pakistani origin may be eligible for a Pakistan Origin Card instead, and may then not need a visa at all. Our POC guide covers who qualifies. For the marriage certificate, see our NADRA marriage certificate guide.

How the application works

• Three steps. The How to Apply page lists a preliminary assessment of the category, preparation of documents, a photograph of up to 350 KB and a card for payment, then the online application: create an account, complete the form, pay and submit.
• Payment. The FAQ says the fee is paid by Master Card or Visa card inside the application.
• One application per passport. An applicant can have one application at a time on a passport. Accompanying family members each need their own application: listing them is not an application for them.
• Interview. Applicants may be called for an interview at the Pakistan Mission in their country.
• What you receive. A Visa Grant Notice, or for visa on arrival categories an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA).
• In the app. The mobile guide says the PakID app lets an applicant apply, scan the photograph and documents, pay, track the application and receive the Visa Grant Notice on the phone.
• On arrival. The site says all foreigners can now apply for the disembarkation card through the PakID app, and that an ETA or visa can be checked with its Verification option.

The FAQ is clear that an ETA is not a visa. It authorises the holder to travel to Pakistan and seek a visa on arrival at the FIA counter.

Where the system’s pages differ

The home page says the system is open to citizens of 192 countries, the FAQ says nationals of 191 countries residing in those countries can apply, and the mobile guide says 193. Check the system’s list of eligible countries for the applicant’s nationality rather than relying on the count.

What we could not confirm

• Fees. The fee structure page loaded without its table when we read it.
• Which visa categories need sponsor verification. The guide says only “wherever applicable”.
• What the Citizen No field expects. The guide shows the field without defining it; we read it as the sponsor’s identity number.
• Whether a NICOP or POC holder abroad can complete the sponsor step. Registration accepts all three, but the guide does not say who may sponsor.

Common mistakes

• Applying through an agent’s website. NADRA says visas are processed only through visa.nadra.gov.pk.
• Travelling on an ETA as if it were a visa. The ETA only lets the holder seek a visa on arrival.
• Listing children as accompanying members. Each needs a separate application.
• The sponsor not verifying. Where it applies, the guide calls it mandatory for processing.
• Missing the 7 days after a send-back. The application is cancelled if not resubmitted in time.

Sources: the home page, How to Apply, the FAQ, the Family Visit Visa page, the mobile application guide and the Sponsor Biometric Verification Guide of the Pakistan Online Visa System; the project and figures from NADRA’s Domestic Projects page; and the official visa channel from NADRA’s Anti Fraud and Scams statement on its terms page. All read on 16 October 2026. Visa rules can change without notice.

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