Dubai: UAE residents have been urged to avail of a new online visa application facility for Pakistan as part of a global rollout by the Pakistan government.

The system went live on January 31 for the Embassy of Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai, as part of a worldwide rollout.

It means residents no longer need to visit the Pakistani missions in the UAE to apply for a visa to Pakistan. Instead, they can access the dedicated website, visa.nadra.gov.pk, for all visa application-related matters. A step-by-step guide on the website is available to make the process easy.

Ahmed Amjad Ali, Consul General of Pakistan in Dubai, said: “The online visa application system makes it even more convenient for applicants, who can fulfil their formalities now from the comfort of their homes. Also, as part of SOPs [standard operating procedures] related to COVID-19, the online move does away with the need to gather in person at the consulate premises.”

Still, if someone is not able to utilise the online system, the consulate staff members are available to facilitate them and guide them, the consul general added.

The latest development follows a similar online service for Pakistani passport applications introduced earlier. There is also a plan to launch in the near future a mobile app for all services offered by the consulate.