Legal help in Pakistan for Pakistanis living in Australia.
Property, inheritance, family and child adoption matters in Pakistan, run from Lahore while you stay in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide.
Short answer. Pakistanis living in Australia can instruct a Lahore firm on property, inheritance, family and child adoption matters in Pakistan without travelling. The power of attorney is signed through NADRA’s online system, at the High Commission of Pakistan, Canberra, or the Consulate General in Sydney, or before a local notary with an apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), because the Apostille Convention operates between Australia and Pakistan.
Reviewed by Khalil Ahmad Bhullah, Founding Partner · Last reviewed 22 September 2026 · Pakistani law only
What Pakistanis in Australia bring us.
You are ahead of Lahore
Sydney and Melbourne are five to six hours ahead of Pakistan, Perth three. A Lahore court morning is your afternoon, so a same-day update usually reaches you before dinner — an easier rhythm than clients in the Americas get.
Adoption runs through country programs
Australian intercountry adoption is run by state and territory authorities through approved country programs. Before instructing anyone in Pakistan on a guardianship petition intended for adoption, ask your state authority whether any route exists for a child in Pakistan.
Property occupied or sold behind your back
Relatives, qabza groups, tenants in default, forged transfers. Special courts for overseas Pakistanis, the Illegal Dispossession Act and civil suits.
Power of attorney from Australia
Drafted narrowly for one property or one case, signed by the route that works from Australia. Revocation if one is being misused.
Inheritance and succession
NADRA succession certificates with biometric verification from Australia through the Pak ID app, inheritance mutation, and court cases when a share is withheld.
Divorce, khula and custody
Talaq notice, khula, maintenance and custody in Pakistan, with a straight note on how Australia treats Pakistani family orders.
Documents from Australia.
The single most expensive mistake overseas clients make is paying for the wrong signing route.
Notary plus apostille works from Australia
Sign before a notary in Australia and have it apostilled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Pakistan accepts that apostille without attestation by a Pakistani mission or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Some Pakistani registrars still prefer a mission-attested document; we check the specific office before you pay for an appointment.
NADRA’s online power of attorney
CNIC, NICOP and POC holders can apply at poa.nadra.gov.pk: upload the document, give biometrics for yourself and two witnesses, pay online, and take an online interview with the Pakistani mission you select. Foreign nationals with no Pakistani identity document must attend the mission.
Documents issued in Australia for use in Pakistan
Death certificates, court orders and other public documents from Australia are apostilled by the competent authority and then used in Pakistan — typically for inheritance, divorce and child adoption files. Ask us which certified form the Pakistani office needs before ordering.
Child guardianship and adoption.
Pakistan has guardianship, not adoption
Pakistani Family Courts appoint guardians under the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890; they do not make adoption orders. We file and argue the guardianship petition in Pakistan. Read the full guide.
Ask Australia first
Whether a child under a Pakistani guardianship order can join you, and whether you can later adopt, is decided by your state or territory central adoption authority. Get that answer before a petition is filed in Pakistan; starting in the wrong order can damage the application at home.
Working with Lahore from Australia.
- In Sydney, a 10:00 AM Lahore hearing is 3:00 PM outside daylight saving and 4:00 PM during it. Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, runs 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM (3:00 PM to midnight in daylight saving). Pakistan does not change its clocks, so the gap moves when yours do.
- Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, is 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM in Perth. A 10:00 AM hearing in Lahore is 1:00 PM your time.
- WhatsApp is read Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pakistan time. A message sent after hours is answered the next business morning in Lahore.
Questions from Pakistanis in Australia.
Sign before a notary in Australia and have it apostilled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Pakistan accepts that apostille without attestation by a Pakistani mission or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Some Pakistani registrars still prefer a mission-attested document; we check the specific office before you pay for an appointment.
In Sydney, a 10:00 AM Lahore hearing is 3:00 PM outside daylight saving and 4:00 PM during it. Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, runs 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM (3:00 PM to midnight in daylight saving). Pakistan does not change its clocks, so the gap moves when yours do. We book calls in the overlap.
Usually, yes. With a power of attorney signed from Australia, we file in Punjab’s special court for overseas Pakistanis’ property, under the Illegal Dispossession Act, 2005, or by civil suit, depending on the facts, and appear at the hearings. A court can require your attendance or evidence by video link at a particular stage.
That is decided under the law of Australia, not Pakistani law. For a child, ask your state or territory central adoption authority before anything is filed in Pakistan. For a divorce, take local family-law advice. We make the Pakistani process correct and properly documented so it has the best chance of being accepted.
Your matter, step by step from Australia.
Living in Australia? Tell us the district in Pakistan and send the papers.
Fintech, NBFC and virtual assets in Pakistan
If you are a company (not a family file), the usual doors are fintech and digital payments, NBFC and business finance, and virtual assets and crypto. China-origin groups use the dedicated China desk. Method: international corporate clients.