Open 24/7 on WhatsAppinfo@apkavisa.pk+92 370 6357322
ApkaVisa
List your business

🇪🇺 Student visa guide

Europe Student Visa from Pakistan: National Visas for Germany, Italy and France

Studying in Europe from Pakistan: national (type D) student visas, not Schengen visas — Germany's blocked account, Italy's Universitaly, France and HEC.

Message us on WhatsApp+92 370 6357322

Last checked against official sources on 25 September 2026

QUICK ANSWER

How much does a student visa for Europe cost from Pakistan?

There is no single European student visa: each country issues its own national (type D) visa. Germany's costs €75 and Italy's study visa €50, paid in rupees at the mission; for the Netherlands the university applies for your residence permit, and its fee is €254. Processing times differ by country, so apply as soon as you have your admission.

Checked on the official sites on 13 October 2026. Fees and times change, so confirm them on the linked page before you pay. Visa centre charges and any consultant's fee are extra.

Germany
€75
national (D) visa at the German missions in Pakistan, paid in rupees
German Missions in Pakistan ↗
Italy
€50
national study visa at the embassy in Islamabad, paid in rupees
Embassy of Italy, Islamabad ↗
Netherlands
€254
first study residence permit, which the university applies for
IND ↗

At a glance

What you are applying for

There is no single European student visa. To study in Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands or any other EU country for more than 90 days, you need a national long-stay (type D) visa from that country, and a residence permit once you arrive. This guide is about those national visas — not the Schengen visa, which is only for short stays.

The pattern is the same everywhere: admission first, then proof of money in the exact form that country accepts, then an appointment queue that can be the slowest part of the whole process. For Pakistani students the decision usually turns on the admission and the funds matching what the embassy asks for — and on applying early enough that the queue does not cost you the semester.

Most refusals come down to one of four

  1. An admission that fits
  2. Funds in the accepted form
  3. Attested documents
  4. Applying early enough
Eiffel Tower, Paris
Europe · Student visa
Visa
A national (type D) study visa from the country you will study in — not a Schengen visa
Germany
Apply on the Consular Services Portal; funds usually in a blocked account
Italy
Pre-enrol on Universitaly; the embassy allocates visa appointments in order
France
Études en France with Campus France, then the consulate in Islamabad
Netherlands
The university applies to the IND for your entry visa and residence permit
Back in Pakistan
HEC equivalence for your European degree

Is this the right guide?

Who it is for

Applying on the wrong visa is one of the quickest ways to a refusal, so read both lists before anything else.

You’re in the right place if you are

  • Admitted to a public university

    Students admitted to a public university in Germany, Italy, France or the Netherlands.

  • A master's applicant after low tuition

    Master's applicants looking for English-taught programmes with low tuition, mainly in Germany and Italy.

  • Holding an official scholarship

    Students holding an HEC or other official scholarship for study in Europe.

  • A family comparing countries

    Families comparing European countries on cost, paperwork and what happens after graduation.

Document checklist

Documents you will need

The base list for this visa. Your own checklist is built around your case — a salaried applicant and a business owner do not submit the same file.

0 / 12ready in your file

Tick as you gather — saved on this device.

Get my checklist on WhatsApp

Everyone

Funds

Country steps

Step by step · with timings

How to apply, and how long it takes

In the order it happens. Each stage waits on the one before it, so the date you start decides the date you finish. Ranges, not promises — the mission owns the clock.

  1. First

    Choose the country as much as the university

    Each country has its own visa rules, proof of funds, appointment queue and rules on working after graduating. A Pakistani intermediate (HSSC) alone does not usually give direct entry to a German bachelor's degree — a year of university in Pakistan or a foundation course (Studienkolleg) comes first.

  2. 3–6 months

    Get admitted and attest your documents

    Apply to the university — for Germany often through uni-assist — and have your degrees attested by HEC early. Italy and France add their own steps: pre-enrolment on Universitaly, and the Études en France file.

  3. Put the money in the form the country accepts

    For Germany, open a blocked account and have your signature attested at the embassy in Islamabad, the consulate in Karachi or the honorary consul in Lahore — a separate appointment from the visa. Other countries accept bank evidence or scholarships, each with its own amount.

  4. Apply for the national visa

    Germany takes student visa applications through its Consular Services Portal, where a missing document stops the file. Italy allocates appointments through its visa centre in the order universities validate pre-enrolments, and France interviews at the consulate in Islamabad after Campus France.

  5. Germany: 3–12 months

    Wait, and keep your file current

    The German Missions in Pakistan say demand exceeds their capacity and that they process applications in the order received. If your semester is at risk, ask the university for a late-arrival or next-semester letter and upload it.

  6. Days to 3 months

    Register after you arrive

    The visa is only the way in. Apply for or validate your residence permit as the country requires — in France, the VLS-TS student visa must be validated online within three months of arrival.

  7. Plan for recognition back home

    HEC grants equivalence for foreign degrees through its online portal, and it asks for your earlier Pakistani degrees attested. Check before you enrol that the university is recognised in its own country.

Rather have it handled?University admission and student visa — from shortlist to boarding pass.Our Study Visa service

Money

What it costs

The official figures are in the quick answer at the top, as checked on 13 October 2026. They change without notice, so each line here says what a cost depends on and where the current figure is published.

  • Paid with the application

    Visa fees

    Visa fees are set by each country and published by its embassy or visa centre.

    FIGUREEach embassy
  • Shown, not paid

    Germany's blocked account

    Germany's blocked-account amount is set each year by the German government and published by the German Missions in Pakistan. The account provider charges its own fees, and the signature attestation at the embassy has a separate fee.

    FIGUREGerman Missions
  • Set by the university

    Tuition

    Tuition is set by each university and differs sharply between countries — from little or nothing at many German public universities to fees linked to family income in Italy. Check the university's own page for your year.

    FIGUREEach university
  • Paid after arrival

    Contributions, insurance, permits

    Semester contributions, health insurance and residence permit fees follow after admission or arrival, at rates each country publishes.

    FIGUREEach country
  • Paid in Pakistan

    Attestation and translations

    HEC attestation, translations and recognition documents are paid to HEC and the other bodies at their published rates.

    FIGUREHEC

Where the current rules and figures are published

LAST CHECKED 25 SEP 2026

This is general guidance. Rules change, sometimes without notice, and your case will have specifics this page cannot know about. Check anything decisive on the official pages, or send us your situation and we will tell you where you actually stand.

Read before you apply

Why Europe student visa applications are refused

The grounds that come up most on files from Pakistan. Most of them can be dealt with before you submit.

  • Funds in the wrong form

    Funds not in the form the embassy accepts — for Germany, a blocked account it cannot verify, or a scholarship from a Pakistani university instead of HEC.

  • Unattested degrees

    Degrees not attested by HEC, or recognition documents such as Italy's Declaration of Value or CIMEA statement missing.

  • An incomplete portal upload

    An incomplete upload on the German Consular Services Portal, which stalls the file before an officer decides it.

  • An admission that does not follow

    An admission that does not follow from your previous study, or a programme the embassy doubts is genuine.

  • A weak consulate interview

    Weak answers at the consulate interview about why this country, this programme and your plans afterwards.

  • A visa after the semester starts

    A visa that arrives after the semester has started — not a refusal, but often the same result.

  • An undeclared refusal

    An earlier visa refusal, from any country, that is not declared.

  • Already been refused?

    Send us the refusal letter before you do anything else. It states the grounds, and they decide whether applying again is worth it or would just cost you the fee a second time.

    Send the letter

Start here

Ask us about your case

Two agents cover WhatsApp between them, so this reaches a person rather than an inbox. The first assessment is free and you get a straight answer, including when that answer is no.

YOUR MESSAGE PREVIEW

ApkaVisa · live agentonline now

Assalam-o-Alaikum! I'd like a free assessment. Service: Study Visa Destination: Europe (ref: form-guide-student-visa-europe)

Opens WhatsApp with your details filled in — you press send. Free assessment, no obligation, and we never share your number.

Straight answers

Europe student visa questions

What people ask us before they apply.

Ask us something else

No. A Schengen visa is for short stays of up to 90 days. To study for longer you need a national (type D) visa from the country you will study in, then a residence permit there. With it you can also visit other Schengen countries for short stays — up to 90 days in any 180.

RANKED · PK → EU

Top 10 Europe student visa consultants in Pakistan

Rather compare agencies? These list the Europe student visa in ApkaVisa's directory, across all ten cities.

All 466 agencies →
#ConsultantCityGoogle ratingVisas listedContact
01Universities PageListingLahore 4.7 (1,387 reviews)Europe student visaUK student visaUS student visa+3 moreCallWhatsApp
02Jay VisaListingSialkot 5.0 (1,209 reviews)Europe student visaUK student visaUK visit visa+7 moreCallWhatsApp
03HS Consultants (Pvt.) Ltd. | For International StudiesListingIslamabad 4.9 (1,071 reviews)Europe student visaUK student visaUS student visa+3 moreCallWhatsApp
04Amir Ismail & Associates - Global Citizenship & ResidencyListingKarachi 5.0 (958 reviews)Europe student visaUK student visaUK work visa+10 moreCallWhatsApp
05HS Consultants (Pvt.) Ltd. | For International StudiesListingLahore 4.9 (880 reviews)Europe student visaUK student visaUS student visa+3 moreCallWhatsApp
06HS Consultants (Pvt.) Ltd. | For International StudiesListingKarachi 4.9 (858 reviews)Europe student visaUK student visaUS student visa+3 moreCallWhatsApp
07ADROIT EDUCATION CONSULTANCYListingLahore 4.8 (618 reviews)Europe student visaUK student visaUS student visa+3 moreCallWhatsApp
08AHZ Study Abroad Consultants LahoreListingLahore 4.8 (592 reviews)Europe student visaUK student visaAustralia student visaCallWhatsApp
09Satti Consultancy & ServicesListingIslamabad 4.9 (575 reviews)Europe student visaEurope work visaSchengen visit visa+8 moreCallWhatsApp
10HS Consultants (Pvt.) Ltd. | For International Studies - Karachi NIPAListingKarachi 4.9 (527 reviews)Europe student visaUK student visaUS student visa+4 moreCallWhatsApp

Ranked by listing tier — Sponsored, then Featured, Verified and Free — and within each tier by how many public Google reviews the agency has. The ratings are Google's, as its listing showed them; we don't check them or vouch for them, and paid places are always labelled. You contact the agency directly; ApkaVisa doesn't sit in between. How the Top 10 is ordered

Keep reading

More on Europe

The other guides we have written for this country — each covers one visa in full.

Browse every guide →