Inheritance in Pakistan when the heirs live in the United States.
For Pakistani-American families who need a parent’s property or bank account in Pakistan transferred, or whose share is being kept by relatives in Pakistan.
Short answer. When all heirs agree, a succession certificate or letter of administration comes through NADRA’s Succession Facilitation Units, with heirs in the US verifying through the Pak ID app. Disputes go to court under the Succession Act, 1925. A US will or US probate does not override Pakistani succession rules for a Muslim’s estate in Pakistan.
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 US state and do not advise on US federal or state law.
Three things US heirs run into.
A US will meets Pakistani shares
For a Muslim, Pakistani law lets a will pass at most one-third of the estate, and not to an heir, unless the other heirs consent after death. A US will leaving everything to one child does not change the shares for property in Pakistan.
Death certificates come from the state
A US death certificate is issued by the state vital records office and apostilled by that state’s Secretary of State. If your parent died in Illinois and you live in Texas, the apostille still comes from Illinois.
Heirs in several states
Each heir verifies separately through the Pak ID app from wherever they are. One applicant or attorney in Pakistan carries the file, so nobody has to coordinate a trip.
How the file runs from the United States.
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 the US
The heirs authorise one person in Pakistan — a sibling or your attorney. Heirs in the United States 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 US file.
A mother dies in Chicago. She owned a flat in Rawalpindi and had a bank account in Pakistan. Her three children live in Illinois, California and Virginia.
Her Illinois death certificate is apostilled by Illinois. The eldest son appoints a cousin in Rawalpindi as attorney; all three children verify through the Pak ID app. NADRA issues the succession certificate after the objection period, the bank pays out against it, and the flat is transferred to the heirs on the record.
Illustrative example, not a client file. Timelines depend on the court, the district and the other side.
Document route from the United States.
The single most expensive mistake overseas clients make is paying for the wrong signing route.
- Notary plus apostille. Sign before a US notary, then an apostille from the Secretary of State of the state where that notary is commissioned. The Apostille Convention operates between the United States 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 Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC, or the consulates general in New York, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. The route for anyone with no Pakistani identity document who does not want the notary route.
- Documents issued in the US — a state death certificate, a court decree — are apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state that issued them, so a Texas certificate goes to Texas, not to the state where you now live.
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 10 hours ahead of New York in winter and 9 in summer; 11 and 10 ahead of Houston and Chicago; 13 and 12 ahead of Los Angeles. Pakistan does not change its clocks.
- Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, starts at 11:00 PM Eastern in winter (midnight in summer). Hearings happen in your night; the WhatsApp summary is waiting when you wake up.
- For a live call on the East Coast, book early: 7:00 AM Eastern is 5:00 PM in Lahore in winter, 4:00 PM in summer. On the West Coast, an 8:00 PM Pacific call in winter (9:00 PM in summer) is 9:00 AM the next 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 the US.
Largely, yes. One heir or an attorney starts the NADRA application in Pakistan, and heirs abroad verify biometrically through the Pak ID app. If any heir objects, NADRA declines and the matter goes to court, which can also be run through an attorney.
For a Muslim estate, not fully. A will can reach at most one-third and not an heir, unless the other heirs consent after death; the rest passes by Islamic shares. Non-Muslim estates follow their own personal law and the Succession Act, 1925.
The apostille of the Secretary of State of the state that issued the certificate. We tell you which certified copy to order so it is accepted the first time.
Section 498-A of the Pakistan Penal Code makes depriving a woman of inherited property by deceit or coercion an offence. Alongside a complaint, a civil suit for declaration and partition establishes and separates her share. She can pursue both through an attorney.
Read next.
Property cases from the US
Occupied, rented out or sold behind your back.
Power of attorney from the US
Which signing route works, and the wording.
Divorce & khula from the US
Talaq, khula, maintenance and custody.
All matters for Pakistanis in the US
The country desk: missions, time zones, every service.
Inheritance and succession: the full guide
The law and the routes, for clients in any country.
Child adoption from the US
Court guardianship of a child in Pakistan.