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I am inspired by someone, who traveled from Germany to Pakistan. Now I am planning a bicycle journey from Pakistan to the end of Europe or maybe return to Pakistan with different route. I have tried to search on google, but I can not get enough information about visa process. Now I am here to get some information about visas. I have 2 main questions:

  1. Do I need to get a visit visa for every country I travel or do I get only transit visa?
  2. Do I apply in embassies or can I get the visa on border?

I will travel on Pakistani passport.

Mark Mayo
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geniuscapri
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3 Answers3

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This sounds like quite the trip!

Every country has different visa rules, and you'll need to research them all individually to determine which requirements apply. We don't know your route, but many of the countries you would pass through on this trip will require you to apply for a visa in advance.

Some countries may be willing to allow you to pass through by bike with a transit visa, but others impose restrictions on transits that are intended to cover those making short airplane or car trips, not bicycle tours, and those would require you to obtain a visit visa, especially if you plan to stop and sight-see along the way. You'll want to look at information from people who have done this before, such as this guide to crossing Turkmenistan on a 5-day transit visa.

Availability of visas and whether border crossings are open will be some of the many factors to consider in planning your route. As this is a long and complex trip, careful planning is of the utmost importance, and such a generalized question about a key detail gives me significant concern that you don't really appreciate the implications of planning the journey you propose.

For the Schengen Area, you will receive a single visa valid for all 26 countries. This would have to be a visit visa, as Schengen only does transit visas for airports, and you plan to visit and not transit in any case. You would apply for a Schengen Visa from the country that is your "main destination," based on the purpose and duration of stay, or if you don't have one of those, from the first Schengen country you will enter.

Zach Lipton
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    Anyway, the Schengen system no longer issues transit visas (formerly type B), unless you count airport transit visas, which don't apply here because they are (perhaps unsurprisingly!) valid only for airport transits. – phoog Jul 23 '17 at 22:42
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You will have to apply before you leave, and you will have to get a transit visa for each of the countries (except for the Schengen zone, which is your final destination).

You cannot get a visa at the borders you will be crossing, as the Pakistani passport is one of the most restrictive in the world when it comes to freedom of travel.

Good luck.

Burhan Khalid
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    Traveling by bicycle will not qualify for most transit visas. It will require tourist visas for the most part. –  Jul 23 '17 at 22:06
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Just don't

Although your question is about visas, and you have been given good answers related to that, this site also deals with travel as a whole.

I am inspired by someone, who travel from Germany to Pakistan. Now I am planning a bicycle journey from Pakistan to end of the Europe or maybe return back to Pakistan with different route.

Such a trip on an airplane requires considerable preparation, let alone on a bicycle! Just because you are inspired by someone does not mean that it did not take that person years of experience and strength and meticulous preparation and some failed attempts before venturing out on such a long road trip on a bicycle.

First focus on those things, visas can come later.

As of now, you don't even know the route. Just because Google Maps can draw a line between two countries does not mean the road is traversable by a bicycle, or at times even a car. By the way, the time it will take to cross certain countries on a bicycle on your path will make it a regular visit as opposed to a short transit.

One of the other answers mentions

You cannot get a visa at the borders you will be crossing, as the Pakistani passport is one of the most restrictive in the world when it comes to freedom of travel.

Even if you had a German passport like he did, visas would be the last thing to worry about. First focus on the cycling part of it, the fitness part of it, the money part of it, the endurance part of it.

Hanky Panky
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    +1 for mentioning that visa is waay down the list of things to worry about for such a trip. Also if OP does not adequately explain these things (endurance, finance, team, previous cycling experiences), most of his visa applications are liable to get rejected. As a first step maybe OP should consider cycling within his country's borders. – RedBaron Jul 24 '17 at 10:48
  • Your comments assume much about the OP that you can't possibly know. The OP could be an experiemced cyclist for all we know. And visa preparation is part of the planning process and Travel SE is the place to ask visa questions. I would hazard a guess you have never undertaken a long haul adventurous tour by bicycle, so how qualified is your advice? –  Jul 24 '17 at 12:38
  • Someone with experience of such a tour would not be asking a broad question like this. They are requested to edit such information into their question so people can improve upon/remove their answers – Hanky Panky Jul 24 '17 at 13:15
  • OP can also be helped tremendously by reading the blog of the very own person whose path they wish to follow. That blog lists all the visa related matters as well. http://kamranonbike.com/faq/ – Hanky Panky Jul 24 '17 at 13:18
  • @hankypanky - you are still making assumptions and belittling the OP's dream. Are you an experienced long haul cycle tourist or just an armchair expert? –  Jul 24 '17 at 13:51
  • When did i claim im an expert? No advice here is binding. Take it or leave it. For expert advice OP can pay the embassies and get decisions – Hanky Panky Jul 24 '17 at 14:16
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    And for the record. I am not a long haul cyclist. But i have travelled on all the roads on the map given on the blog mentioned above. Those roads make an suv look like a toy. they dont call it rooftop of the world for no reason. – Hanky Panky Jul 24 '17 at 14:19