Are you thinking about travelling to Afghanistan? Then allow me to answer some questions that you might have about how to get the Afghanistan visa.
⭐ How do I get the Afghanistan visa?
⭐ Where can I get the Afghanistan visa?
⭐ How long does it take to get the Afghanistan visa?
⭐ How much does the Afghanistan visa cost?
⭐ What is the procedure for getting the Afghanistan visa?
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How to Get the Afghanistan Visa in Nearby Countries
By far, one of the easiest ways to get the Afghanistan visa is to apply at a consulate in a neighbouring country, namely Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran. Here we’re going to talk specifically about how to get the visa in Peshawar, in the Khyber Pakhtunkwa province of Pakistan.
The process for getting the visa in this location has recently changed. It’s still a relatively easy process, but it may involve some waiting. You could get it done within a few hours though.
Where Can I get the Afghanistan Visa in Peshawar? Step One – Visit the Online Visa Application Office
The first step in the visa process is to visit the Afghan Online Visa Application Office at Shinwari Gate. There you will pay 500 PKR for an application form that the staff will fill out for you. A passport size photo is also needed. If you don’t have one, you can get some printed from your phone, or get some taken, near the office for 100 PKR.
Unfortunately, there will be a chaotic crowd of people waiting outside the small door where they take your passport. If you are female, you can join the much shorter female line. I was lucky that a woman in line in front of me told me I needed to hand them my passport first. She shoved my passport in front of the man’s face when he opened the door.
The door closed, but then about 20 seconds later, (I presume after the man realised he was holding a foreign passport), it opened again and I was ushered in. I have a feeling I was jumped to the front of the line because I was a foreigner.
In the room, a man sitting behind a computer asked for my passport. I indicated that someone else had it. He motioned for that man to give him my passport and filled out the visa application form on his computer. He then printed it out for me and collected the 500 PKR fee I mentioned earlier.
This whole process took less than 15 minutes. While I was waiting, I asked the friendly staff if I could use their WiFi and they graciously let me.
Step Two – Getting to the Afghanistan Consulate
Once that’s all done, you can get a tuk tuk right out front of the visa centre. The tuk tuk drivers may ask you if you’re going to the Afghan Consulate. Make sure you set the price before you get in. It should be 100 PKR.
The tuk tuk will take you to the to the road where you’ll find the Afghan Consulate. The consulate is located in an army cantonment, which means you have to walk to the security gate on the lefthand side of the road and tell them your purpose for entering the area.
At that gate, they will ask you to leave your mobile phone and give you a card so you can collect it on the way back out. From there, a man that works at the Afghan consulate walked me the 500 metres to the consulate. This could be the standard operating procedure as it’s hard to know where the consulate is when they have your phone with your map on it!
There was another gate on the way where I had to show my passport and Pakistan Visa. Unfortunately, I only had a copy on my phone, which had been left at the last gate, so the guy told me that I had to present myself at his gate on the way back.
Step Three – Entering the Afghan Consulate in Peshawar
Once you are at the consulate, one of the friendly men out the front will ask to see your passport, after greeting you warmly. Then you have to make sure that you enter the consulate using the correct door. As a female, I had to enter the women’s section.
Once inside the gate, a very friendly woman who spoke English very well, asked me to enter a room and show my passport. Then she asked me to step toward a table where she registered my details in a big book.
After that, she informed me that I had to wear a kind of burqa that only had a circle of small holes around the eyes to see through. Once I had it on, I had to walk across a courtyard to a white door. The limited field of vision actually gave me vertigo and made it difficult to walk the short distance across the yard.
It wasn’t a pleasant experience but I made it to the door.
How to Get the Afghanistan Visa in Peshawar, Step Four – The Visa Room
After knocking on the door, a man emerged from the door and asked for my passport, application form and US$100. I didn’t have US dollars, so he asked for 30,000 PKR. That’s a terrible exchange rate as US$100 should only be around 28,000PKR.
It may be better to bring US dollars!
Just for your information, the visa in only US$80 if you get it in Tajikistan.
The man then disappeared back into the room. He re-emerged around 5 minutes later with my passport and a fresh new Afghanistan visa.
I went back across the courtyard to the room near the entry gate to give back the clothing I had borrowed and left the consulate. I then made my way back to the cantonment gate to pick up my phone.
**The whole process, including visiting the two sites and transport between them took under 1 hour!**
Further to that, everyone was super friendly at every stop along the way.
So here’s a quick recap with answers to your questions:
⭐ How do I get the Afghanistan visa?
You can get the Afghanistan visa quickly from nearby countries. In Peshawar, Pakistan the process includes visiting an Online Visa Application Centre and the Afghanistan Consulate
⭐ Where can I get the Afghanistan visa?
From an Afghanistan Consulate in nearby countries
⭐ How long does it take to get the Afghanistan visa?
In Peshawar, Pakistan, you can get the Afghanistan visa in less than an hour!
⭐ How much does the Afghanistan visa cost?
In Peshawar, it costs US$100 or 30,000 PKR. In Tajikistan, it costs US$80
⭐ What is the procedure for getting the Afghanistan visa?
In Peshawar, you first need to go to the Online Visa Application Centre to get the form filled out, then you need to go to the Afghanistan Consulate to submit the form, pay the fee and get the visa.
To close, I would just like to add that Afghanistan is definitely a country worth visiting, despite what you may have heard about it. My suggestion is to visit and find out what it’s really like for yourself. I’ll also be putting up some posts in the coming weeks to give you a better idea of life in Afghanistan.
