Greece Visit Visa Guides

Athens, Santorini and the island ferries make Greece a popular summer choice for Pakistani travellers, as well as a destination for family visits. Greece is in the Schengen area, so Pakistani passport holders need a Schengen short-stay visa, and the biggest recent change is how you book it. The Embassy of Greece in Islamabad no longer schedules ordinary visa appointments itself; all bookings now go through the online platform of Global Visa Center World, known as GVCW.

Files are handed in at GVCW visa application centres in Islamabad and Lahore, while the Greek consular office in Islamabad still examines every application and decides. The embassy has said it will not accept urgent appointment requests or bookings made any other way. Some older pages in the embassy's visa section still describe the previous system, including email booking; when versions conflict, follow the embassy's appointment announcement and GVCW. If you live in Sindh or Balochistan, check GVCW's location page to confirm where you should apply before travelling to a centre. Greece must be the country where you spend the most nights; island-hopping with a brief stop in Rome is still a Greek file.

On GVCW, choose the checklist for your purpose: tourism, business, visiting family or friends and several others. Staff cannot advise you on the category, so decide first. Create an account, complete the Schengen form online, print it, and add the signed Data Protection Information sheet. Booking is free and only possible on the platform; paid form-filling help exists at the centre but is optional. Everyone attends in person for fingerprints and a photo, fees are paid in rupees, and you track progress with the application ID on your receipt.

Greek files differ from a standard Schengen file in a few ways. The embassy asks for the NADRA Family Registration Certificate attested by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an English translation of the Nikah Nama for married applicants, and a longer bank history than many missions. If someone in Greece is hosting you, their invitation needs the signature certified by a Greek authority such as a KEP citizens' service centre or the police. Use A4 paper and a separate set of documents for each traveller, children included.

The embassy publishes a list of Pakistani insurers that can issue Schengen travel cover, and GVCW says any insurer is acceptable if the policy meets the Schengen standard. Diplomatic and official passport holders apply at the embassy instead of GVCW. Optional extras such as courier, SMS updates or the premium lounge do not change the consulate's decision.

Guides on this site: our Greece visit visa guide for Pakistani passport holders at /greece/pakistan explains the GVCW booking steps, centre details, Greek document rules, fees and timing. For the full EU core list, combine it with the Schengen visa documents checklist for Pakistan at /guides/schengen-visa-documents-checklist-pakistan.

Can I book a Greek visa appointment through the embassy? No. Ordinary appointments are booked only on the GVCW platform. Diplomatic and official passport holders are the exception.

Where are the Greek visa centres in Pakistan? GVCW runs centres in Islamabad and Lahore. Check its location page for submission days, hours and the right centre for your residence.

Does my Greek host's invitation need certification? Yes. The embassy asks for the host's signature to be certified by a Greek authority such as a KEP office or the police.

Must I buy insurance from the Greek embassy's list? No. GVCW says any insurer is acceptable if the policy meets the Schengen standard, though the consulate decides whether it is adequate.