Legal help in Pakistan for Pakistanis living in Canada.
Property, inheritance, family and child adoption matters in Pakistan, run from Lahore while you stay in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Calgary, Montreal or Vancouver.
Short answer. Pakistanis living in Canada 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, Ottawa, or consulates general in Toronto and Montreal, or before a local notary with an apostille from Global Affairs Canada, or the competent authority in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec or Saskatchewan for documents issued there, because the Apostille Convention operates between Canada and Pakistan.
Reviewed by Khalil Ahmad Bhullah, Founding Partner · Last reviewed 22 September 2026 · Pakistani law only
What Pakistanis in Canada bring us.
Canada only joined the Apostille Convention in January 2024
The Convention entered into force for Canada on 11 January 2024. Documents signed before that date went through authentication and legalisation instead. If you are relying on an older Canadian affidavit or power of attorney, we check whether it needs to be redone.
Quebec is different
Quebec runs a civil-law system with its own rules on adoption and on recognising foreign family orders. If you live in Quebec, take Quebec advice on how a Pakistani order will be treated there.
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 Canada
Drafted narrowly for one property or one case, signed by the route that works from Canada. Revocation if one is being misused.
Inheritance and succession
NADRA succession certificates with biometric verification from Canada 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 Canada treats Pakistani family orders.
Documents from Canada.
The single most expensive mistake overseas clients make is paying for the wrong signing route.
Notary plus apostille works from Canada
Sign before a notary in Canada and have it apostilled by Global Affairs Canada, or the competent authority in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec or Saskatchewan for documents issued there. 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 Canada for use in Pakistan
Death certificates, court orders and other public documents from Canada 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.
Working with Lahore from Canada.
- In Toronto, a 10:00 AM Lahore hearing is midnight outside daylight saving and 1:00 AM during it. Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, runs 11:00 PM the night before to 8:00 AM (midnight to 9:00 AM in daylight saving). Pakistan does not change its clocks, so the gap moves when yours do.
- In Calgary, a 10:00 AM Lahore hearing is 10:00 PM the night before outside daylight saving and 11:00 PM the night before during it. Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, runs 9:00 PM the night before to 6:00 AM (10:00 PM the night before to 7:00 AM in daylight saving). Pakistan does not change its clocks, so the gap moves when yours do.
- In Vancouver, a 10:00 AM Lahore hearing is 9:00 PM the night before outside daylight saving and 10:00 PM the night before during it. Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, runs 8:00 PM the night before to 5:00 AM (9:00 PM the night before to 6:00 AM in daylight saving). Pakistan does not change its clocks, so the gap moves when yours do.
- 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 Canada.
Sign before a notary in Canada and have it apostilled by Global Affairs Canada, or the competent authority in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec or Saskatchewan for documents issued there. 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 Toronto, a 10:00 AM Lahore hearing is midnight outside daylight saving and 1:00 AM during it. Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, runs 11:00 PM the night before to 8:00 AM (midnight to 9:00 AM 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 Canada, 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 Canada, not Pakistani law. For a child, ask IRCC and your provincial 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 Canada.
Living in Canada? 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.