Getting Our Visas

For our upcoming trip to Pakistan, we're going to need a visa. Before Pakistan, I had only ever traveled internationally to Canada - where an American doesn't need a visa. And in fact, back then I didn't even need a passport, just my birth certificate. Pakistan is among those countries, though, that requires Americans to get a travel visa to enter the country.

(There are other ways to travel to Pakistan without a visa, like NICOP and POCs, I just don't know  much about them.)

The first time we were planning a trip to Pakistan, we sent off months in advance to apply for my visa. We included all the paperwork the application required, as well as lots more. We sent our marriage certificate, a copy of M's passport, copies of our bank statements, and an invitation letter from my in-laws - none of which was required. Thank God, I got my passport back a few weeks later with a five-year, multiple entry visa in it, as well as a stamp that said "Except from Registration with Local Police." I hadn't even known that might be a condition, so I was pleased to be exempt from it!

I don't know if all the extra paperwork made any difference, but I know of another wife of a Pakistani who (I think) has never gotten a Pakistani visit visa that was good for more than one year. In fact, after talking to her, I was really nervous about what kind of visa I might get this time. My original visa is five years old - how time flies - and set to expire this December.

With my youngest brother-in-law's plans still (STILL!) up in the air because of the dreaded "administrative processing" of his US student visa, we weren't sure about travel plans until recently. But one thing neither M nor I had even thought about was the visa. It was after our plans were finalized and plane tickets set that M suddenly came home from work one day and asked me about my visa. We seriously could have shown up at the airport without a valid visa for me and been sent home.

Thanks to M, we prepared and sent off a similar more-than-required visa application packet and waited anxiously. With such a time crunch, I had thought about going in person but that would probably not have been any faster. We live so close to the Embassy that with overnight shipping, it took only a week. Going in person would have meant two trips, one for drop off and one for delivery, and countless hours of waiting in line while more important people got to schmooze their way past those of us unconnected folks who have to wait our turn.

Within a week, my passport came back. Five year, multiple entry again, thank God! So now with tickets purchased, and a valid visa in hand, we're set for travel. Just a mountain of shopping and packing and we'll be on our way!