Legal help in Pakistan for Pakistanis living in the UAE.
Property, inheritance, family and child adoption matters in Pakistan, run from Lahore while you stay in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or Ajman.
Short answer. Pakistanis living in the UAE 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 or at the Embassy of Pakistan, Abu Dhabi, or the Consulate General in Dubai — the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so a local apostille is not available.
Reviewed by Khalil Ahmad Bhullah, Founding Partner · Last reviewed 22 September 2026 · Pakistani law only
What Pakistanis in the UAE bring us.
The UAE is not in the Apostille Convention
A UAE notary plus apostille is not an option, because the UAE is not a party. Sign at the Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate General in Dubai, use NADRA’s online power of attorney, or follow the full attestation chain for a document issued by a UAE authority.
Use your annual leave well
Many Gulf clients sign documents in Pakistan during annual leave. We prepare the power of attorney, affidavits and petition in advance, so a two-week visit is enough to sign, verify biometrically and fly back.
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 the UAE
Drafted narrowly for one property or one case, signed by the route that works from the UAE. Revocation if one is being misused.
Inheritance and succession
NADRA succession certificates with biometric verification from the UAE 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 the UAE treats Pakistani family orders.
Documents from the UAE.
The single most expensive mistake overseas clients make is paying for the wrong signing route.
The UAE is not an apostille country
Because the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, sign the power of attorney at the Embassy of Pakistan, Abu Dhabi, or the Consulate General in Dubai, or use NADRA’s online system and choose that mission. Nothing issued locally can be apostilled for Pakistan.
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 the UAE for use in Pakistan
A document issued by an authority in the UAE — a death certificate, a court document — is attested locally, then by the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then by the Pakistani mission, before a Pakistani office will accept it.
Child guardianship and adoption.
Working with Lahore from the UAE.
- Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, is 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Dubai. A 10:00 AM hearing in Lahore is 9:00 AM 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 the UAE.
Because the UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, sign the power of attorney at the Embassy of Pakistan, Abu Dhabi, or the Consulate General in Dubai, or use NADRA’s online system and choose that mission. Nothing issued locally can be apostilled for Pakistan.
Our office day, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Lahore, is 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Dubai. A 10:00 AM hearing in Lahore is 9:00 AM your time. We book calls in the overlap.
Usually, yes. With a power of attorney signed from the UAE, 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.
Residence for the child is decided by the UAE immigration authorities (ICP and GDRFA), not by the Pakistani court. Ask them what they require before anything is filed in Pakistan. We make the Pakistani order and its supporting record complete and properly attested so it can be presented to them.