pakistan visas..whats going wrong..
 

ok...the low down on paki visa should be made VERY clear to stop people falling into the trap we almost fell into. YOU CANNOT GET THEM ÝN ÝRAN...AT ALL... if you are planning this journey get your paki visa in turkey at the latest. we have just come back from dogobaysýt to ankara to get our visa after running into chris and richard stone who were forced to turn around and return to england due this problem....

the iranian visa seems easy now compared with getting the paki visa on route.
we had a SÝT DOWN with the consul general of pakistan pleading our case as to why we should be let in... thankfully a few cricket stories won him over and tomorrow we pick up our visa. however you HAVE to have a letter of intoduction and not all governments ie french are willing to provide this for pak as it is deemed a dangerous country.
BE WARNED...we were luckily and hadnt used up our iranian visa yet...
anyway...goodluck...phil.

hý phýl
Great to see you got výsa a word of warnýng englýsh embassey wýll not help out wýth letter of ýntroductýons for pakýstan.

chrýs

Hi
well, it s not impossible to get a pakistani visa here in THR. The thing to know is that the guy at the office wil first tell you to go back to apply in your country, and that they don t give visa there. If you argue 2 minutes, he will get you a interview with an official. Speak 10 min with him and you can bring your papers and get your visa one or 2 days later. I met some japanese who managed "easily". But you need a letter from your ambassy. frenchs, germans and certainly some other westerns can try to get one at their ambassy, but it seems that it is hopeless...

I explained why I couldn t apply earlier in my country (F), and the consul of pak ambassy told me he will send my demand to Pakistan, to be allowed to give me a visa without any letter.
Now I m waiting...

[This message has been edited by philippe (edited 13 October 2004).]

I have been waiting one month, and picked it up in Tehran. A 2 months tourist visa for 23EUR. Even without recommandation letter. Hard job but that s it, it s working. I ve been told of a german who get it as well.

I ve been trying to find a solution with the pak embassy in Paris, and I ve been supported by Vincent Danna, that you certainly know as he had good contribution to these forums. He s been for me many times to the paris embassy but finally no way! They refuse to deliver me a visa by mail! Many thanks to Vincent and to the biker s solidarity!
His web site : http://vincent.danna.free.fr/

Now my advices :

If you can wait one month, ask the pak embassy in THR to send your request to Islamabad. Say that you prefer to wait than any other solution, go as many times you can to the consulate, write nice letters, explain why it s important, that flying or shipping is very expensive, try to keep in touch, etc etc, and enjoy Iran.

If you re not ready to wait, you can try a travel agency. That s what I did but it s risky because when the embassy knew that I was offering money to the travel agency, they where furious and almost blacklisted me. If you re ready, I don t know if it can work, but there s a travel agency with a pakistani employee who had a good connexion with the embassy. It s in front of the main office of DHL, at the end of Shahid Behesht Ave, next to Valiasr Ave. I m not sure it s a solution, and you can be against this way of proceeding...

Good luck, but it s definetly better to apply in Turkey.

I encountered a similar problem in Budapest. It was resolved by speaking direct with the ambassador who offered me tea and cookies. After I explained what I was I was doing he became very helpful and issued a two week transit visa that day. We posed for pictures and he gave me some maps and guidebooks.

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