France, Italy, Germany or Spain visa from Pakistan: which country to apply to

A France visa, an Italy visa, a Germany visa and a Spain visa for a holiday or family visit are all the same thing: a short-stay Schengen visa. Once issued, it normally lets you move between all Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180 days. The difference is which embassy decides your application, and that is where many Pakistani applicants go wrong.

The rule: apply where you will spend the most nights

• One country only: apply to that country.
• Several countries: apply to the country where you will spend the most nights.
• Equal nights everywhere: apply to the country you enter first.
• Main purpose matters too: if you are going for a wedding in Milan or a trade fair in Frankfurt, that country is usually your main destination.

Choosing a country because "its appointments are easier" or "it gives visas more easily" and then planning the trip around another country is called visa shopping. Officers notice it, it often leads to refusal, and the refusal is recorded in the Schengen Visa Information System that every Schengen embassy can see.

What every Schengen embassy in Pakistan asks for

Schengen countries use a common list of supporting documents for applicants in Pakistan. Individual embassies add their own points, but the core is the same:

• Signed application form, ICAO photo, passport valid at least 3 months after you leave, old passports and visas.
• NADRA Family Registration Certificate (FRC) in English and CNIC copy.
• Bank statements for the last 6 months, signed and stamped by the bank.
• NTN certificate and FBR acknowledgements of income tax returns for the last two tax years, or other documented proof of income and assets if you cannot provide these.
• Employed: last 3 payslips, employment contract and a leave letter with dates, position and salary. Business owners: company registration. Retired: 6 months of pension statements.
• Flight reservation, accommodation for every night, travel medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000 valid across Schengen.

The full list is explained in our Schengen visa checklist for Pakistan.

Country points people often miss

• Italy: the Italian Embassy in Islamabad publishes its own guidelines and asks for documents issued by Pakistani authorities to carry an apostille, with English-language documents or certified translations. Read its current checklist before you collect papers.
• Germany: the German missions in Pakistan say an incomplete file can be rejected straight away, and ask at least for 6 months of bank statements and 3 months of salary slips. Islamabad and Karachi cover different provinces, so check which mission covers where you live.
• France: applications start on the official France-Visas website, which tells you the documents for your profile before you book.
• Spain, Netherlands, Greece, Portugal and others: each uses its own visa centre and its own appointment system. Only book through the link on the embassy's official website.

Visa centres and appointment systems change. Always follow the link on the embassy's own website, never a link sent on WhatsApp or posted in a Facebook group.

"Which Schengen country gives visa easily?"

This is one of the most searched questions in Pakistan, and the honest answer is: none of them does if the file is weak, and the "easy" embassy is the wrong embassy if it is not your real destination. A clear purpose, real bookings, steady finances and strong ties to Pakistan matter far more than the flag on the visa sticker.

How Meridian helps

Our Europe / Schengen visa file consultation is PKR 20,000 per person. We help you pick the correct embassy for your route, build the checklist that embassy uses, write a realistic itinerary and check every date and amount across your documents. If you have been refused before, read why visas get refused and how to reapply. Only the embassy decides the visa.

Information checked 1 November 2026. Rules change, so always confirm on the official embassy or visa-centre website before you apply.