Inheritance in Pakistan when the heirs live in Australia.
For Pakistani-Australian families transferring a parent’s land, house or bank account in Pakistan, or pursuing a share kept from them.
Short answer. When all heirs agree, a succession certificate or letter of administration comes through NADRA’s Succession Facilitation Units, with heirs in Australia verifying through the Pak ID app. Disputes go to court under the Succession Act, 1925. An Australian grant of probate deals with the Australian estate only; land in Pakistan still needs Pakistani succession and mutation.
Reviewed by Khalil Ahmad Bhullah, Founding Partner · Last reviewed 7 October 2026 · Pakistani law only. We are Pakistani advocates. We are not admitted in any Australian state or territory and do not advise on Australian law.
Three things Australian heirs run into.
Australian probate stops at the border
A grant from a state Supreme Court covers the Australian estate. Property in Pakistan is transferred by a Pakistani succession certificate or court order and an inheritance mutation.
State death certificates and DFAT
A death certificate from a state registry of births, deaths and marriages is apostilled by DFAT before use in Pakistan. We tell you which certified copy to order.
The time zone helps
Heirs in Australia can verify on the Pak ID app and take calls during our office day without staying up at night, which keeps an agreed-family file moving.
How the file runs from Australia.
You stay where you are. We appear in Lahore on your power of attorney; a court can still ask for you by video link at a particular stage.
Records first
Death registration, and a current Family Registration Certificate from NADRA listing every legal heir. Missing or wrong family records cause most rejections.
One applicant, biometrics from Australia
The heirs authorise one person in Pakistan — a sibling or your attorney. Heirs in Australia verify through NADRA’s Pak ID app.
Certificate or court
If all heirs agree, a succession certificate or letter of administration through NADRA’s Succession Facilitation Unit after the objection period. If anyone objects, the Succession Act, 1925 route in court.
Transfer each asset
Land by inheritance mutation at the Arazi Record Centre; society plots on the society file; bank accounts and shares by presenting the certificate.
A typical Australian file.
A mother dies in Sydney. She owned a house in Lahore. Her son lives in Sydney, one daughter in Brisbane and another in Lahore.
Her NSW death certificate is apostilled by DFAT. The daughter in Lahore is the applicant; the two in Australia verify through the Pak ID app. NADRA issues the succession certificate after the objection period, and the house is transferred into the heirs’ names on the record.
Illustrative example, not a client file. Timelines depend on the court, the district and the other side.
Document route from Australia.
The single most expensive mistake overseas clients make is paying for the wrong signing route.
- Notary plus apostille. Sign before an Australian notary public, then an apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The Apostille Convention operates between Australia and Pakistan, so no further attestation by a Pakistani mission is legally needed — though some registrars still prefer a mission-attested document, and we check first.
- NADRA online power of attorney. For CNIC, NICOP and POC holders at poa.nadra.gov.pk: biometrics for you and two witnesses, online payment, and an online interview with the mission you select. No visit.
- In person at a mission. The High Commission of Pakistan in Canberra, or the Consulate General in Sydney. The route for anyone with no Pakistani identity document who does not want the notary route.
- Documents issued in Australia — a death certificate from a state registry, a court order — are apostilled by DFAT before use in Pakistan.
What we will ask for
- Death certificate, and proof the death is recorded where Pakistan requires it.
- NADRA Family Registration Certificate (FRC).
- CNIC, NICOP or POC of every heir.
- A list of what was owned in Pakistan: land, houses, society plots, bank accounts, vehicles, shares.
- Any will, gift deed or bank nomination.
Time difference with Lahore.
- Sydney and Melbourne are 5 hours ahead of Lahore in winter and 6 hours ahead during Australian daylight saving; Brisbane stays 5 ahead; Perth is 3 ahead.
- A 10:00 AM hearing in Lahore is 3:00 PM in Sydney (4:00 PM in daylight saving), so the result of the day usually reaches you before dinner.
- Our office day is 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM in Sydney (3:00 PM to midnight in daylight saving) and 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM in Perth — easy to reach after work.
- WhatsApp is read Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pakistan time. Fees are quoted in writing before any work starts.
Questions from Australia.
Largely, yes. One heir or an attorney starts the application in Pakistan, and heirs abroad verify biometrically through NADRA’s Pak ID app. If anyone objects, the matter goes to court, which can also be run through an attorney.
No. Land in Pakistan is transferred by a Pakistani succession certificate or court order and an inheritance mutation in the revenue or society record.
An apostille from DFAT on the certified certificate issued by the state or territory registry.
Depriving a woman of inherited property by deceit or coercion is an offence under section 498-A of the Pakistan Penal Code. A civil suit for declaration and partition establishes and separates the share. Both can be pursued through an attorney.
Read next.
Property cases from Australia
Occupied, rented out or sold behind your back.
Power of attorney from Australia
Which signing route works, and the wording.
Divorce & khula from Australia
Talaq, khula, maintenance and custody.
All matters for Pakistanis in Australia
The country desk: missions, time zones, every service.
Inheritance and succession: the full guide
The law and the routes, for clients in any country.
Apostille by country
Which countries’ apostilles work in Pakistan.