Inheritance in Pakistan when the heirs live in Saudi Arabia.
For sons, daughters and widows in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Makkah or Madinah who need a parent’s house, land, plot or bank account in Pakistan transferred — or whose share is being kept from them.
Short answer. When all heirs agree, a succession certificate or letter of administration is issued through NADRA’s Succession Facilitation Units, and heirs abroad verify biometrically through the Pak ID app. If anyone objects, the case goes to court under the Succession Act, 1925. Land is then mutated into the heirs’ names.
KBL & Associates, Lahore · Updated 23 October 2026 · Pakistani law only. We are Pakistani advocates and do not advise on the law of Saudi Arabia.
What matters when you work from Saudi Arabia.
A death in Saudi Arabia
If the death happened in Saudi Arabia, the death certificate must be made usable in Pakistan first: a Saudi document is apostilled by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Order the right certified copy before anything else.
Sisters abroad, brothers at home
Depriving a woman of her inheritance by deceit or coercion is an offence under section 498-A of the Pakistan Penal Code. Sisters abroad can pursue their share through an attorney, with a civil suit for declaration and partition alongside.
Gulf savings are a separate estate
Bank balances, end-of-service benefits or property in Saudi Arabia follow local procedure. Pakistani property follows Pakistani succession. Run both, and tell each adviser about the other.
How the file runs from Saudi Arabia.
You stay at work. 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 Saudi Arabia
The heirs authorise one person in Pakistan — a sibling or your attorney. Heirs in Saudi Arabia 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 file from Saudi Arabia.
A father who worked in Riyadh for thirty years dies at home in Faisalabad. He owned a house and a society plot. Two sons work in Saudi Arabia; the widow and a daughter live in Faisalabad.
The daughter is appointed applicant. The sons give biometric verification through the Pak ID app from their accommodation. NADRA’s Succession Facilitation Unit issues the certificate after the objection period, the house is mutated at the Arazi Record Centre, and the plot is transferred on the society file. Neither son uses a day of leave.
Illustrative example, not a client file. Timelines depend on the court, the district and the other side.
Document route from Saudi Arabia.
The single most expensive mistake overseas clients make is paying for the wrong signing route.
- Notary plus apostille. Sign before a notary in Saudi Arabia, then an apostille from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Apostille Convention has applied to Saudi Arabia since 7 December 2022 and operates with Pakistan, so no Pakistani mission attestation 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 Embassy of Pakistan, Riyadh, or the Consulate General in Jeddah.
- Death certificates, court orders and other public documents from Saudi Arabia are apostilled by the competent Saudi authority and then used 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.
- Lahore is 2 hours ahead of Saudi Arabia all year. Neither country changes its clocks.
- A 10:00 AM hearing in Lahore is 8:00 AM in Riyadh, so the update is with you early in your day.
- Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, is 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM in Riyadh. Fridays are a working day in Lahore.
- 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 Saudi Arabia.
Largely, yes. One heir or an attorney starts the application in Pakistan, and heirs abroad give biometric verification through NADRA’s Pak ID app.
A certified death certificate made usable in Pakistan — a Saudi document is apostilled by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs — and the death recorded with NADRA so the Family Registration Certificate is current.
A complaint under section 498-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, a complaint to the Punjab Ombudsperson for women’s property rights, and a civil suit for declaration and partition can all be pursued through an attorney.
For a Muslim, Pakistani law limits a will to one-third of the estate, and not to an heir, unless the other heirs consent after death. The rest passes by fixed Islamic shares.
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