Attesting Pakistani Documents (FAQs)

Yes - Pakistan is a member of the Apostille Convention.

Pakistani documents can be legalized for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp from Ministry of Foreign Affairs when destined for other signatory countries without additional certification by the destination country.

However, Germany, Poland, Czechia, Austria, Greece and Finland have objected to Pakistan's accession to the Apostille Convention, so that documents required for these countries still require attestation by the recipient embassy in Islamabad.

When Pakistani documents are required for non-apostille countries, they need to be legalized by the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs and authenticated by the embassy of the destination country in Islamabad.

For further information see:
Pakistan Apostille Services

For further information about Apostille certification in Pakistan, see:
Pakistan Apostille Services

Exceptions to the Apostille Convention - accession of Pakistan
The following states have objected to the accession of Pakistan to the Apostille Convention. Pakistani documents required for submission to these states cannot be attested with an Apostille Stamp and will require attestation by the recipient embassy in Islamabad.
Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Austria, Finland.

Documents required for Germany
The legalisation of Pakistani documents by German consular authorities is suspended. The embassy and consulate general can have Pakistani documents checked as part of a request for administrative assistance in certain cases.
For further information, see:
Authentication of Pakistani documents (in German) (in German)

Apostille Stamps in Pakistan can be obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to attest official Pakistani documents, including:

• Birth and Death Certificates
• Nikkah Nama/Marriage Registration Certificates
• Police Character Certificates
• University degrees
• School leaving certificates
• Unmarried certificates
• Certificates of Free Sale and Certificates of Origin
• Status certificates of private companies

To confirm whether your document is eligible for apostille authentication in Pakistan, please Contact us and we’ll check your document free of charge. For further information about our Pakistani apostille services and for assistance obtaining official copies of Pakistani documents, see:
Pakistan Apostille Services

Document legalization (or attestation) is a procedure which authenticates a public Pakistani document so that it can be submitted in another country for official or legal purposes - for example, if you need to submit a Pakistani birth certificate to the authority or embassy of another country, it will often need to be legalized.

Legalizing a document in Pakistan certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in Pakistan and confirms the capacity of that official.

• Because Pakistan is a member of the Apostille Convention, Pakistani documents can be legalized by means of an Apostille Stamp when being submitted to countries that are also members of the Hague Apostille Convention
• If a Pakistani document is required for a country that is not a member of the Apostille Convention, it will need to be legalized both by Pakistani authorities and by the embassy of the recipient country (embassy in Pakistan or non-resident embassy accredited to Pakistan).
  See: Document legalization - Wikipedia

Isarey Certification Services provides a range of services in Pakistan including Apostille and legalization services, notarization services, certified translation services and document retrieval services.

You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:

• ISAREY reviews on Trustpilot
• ISAREY reviews on Google

Pakistan Apostilles follow the standard format laid down in the Apostille Convention. Some examples of Pakistani documents certified with Apostille stamps:

• Pakistan marriage certificate with Apostille (PDF)

See What does an Apostille look like?

Isarey can obtain official copies of Pakistani birth, death and marriage certificates for overseas clients. Please Contact us for assistance.

Pakistani Certificates of Single Status (unmarried certificates) can be authenticated for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Certificates must be issued by the Secretary of the Union Council. Unmarried certificates on plain paper or letter head in the name of Chairman/ Member of the Union Council are not valid for an Apostille.

Applying in Pakistan: Police Character Certificates may be requested in Pakistan by foreign and dual nationals, and by Pakistani nationals who need to submit certification of a clean criminal record to a foreign embassy. Pakistani nationals can submit their application in person to the local city police officer/ local police station (cities), to the Local district office of Senior Superintendent of Police (towns), or to the local FATA agency. Non-citizens in Pakistan may apply directly at the local district office of the Senior Superintendent of Police of the Police Security Branch

Applying from outside Pakistan: Applications from outside Pakistan should be submitted through a Pakistan embassy or Consulate. Applicants from Punjab can apply for a Police Character Certificate through the embassy using the Punjab Police Global Portal. Applicants from other provinces will need to attest a letter of authority at the embassy and forward this letter to a close relative in Pakistan who will submit the application.

• Police Character Certificate - London, UK
• Police Character Certificate - Birmingham, UK
• Police Character Certificate - Manchester, UK
• Police Character Certificate - Los Angeles, USA
• Police Character Certificate - High Commission in Australia

Pakistani Police Character Certificates can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when issued by local District Police Officer (DPO) or Political Agent (tribal areas).

Pakistani School Leaving Certificates from Government and Private schools must be attested by IBCC or District Education Officer/Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA). School leaving certificates from Army, Air force or Navy educational institutions should be attested by the Commanding Officer of the Educational Directorate or authorized officer. Certificates can then be legalized with an Apostille Stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Pakistani medical fitness certificates can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when signed by MS/DMS/Civil Surgeon/Director Medical Board, District Health Officer.