Power of attorney for Pakistan, signed in the United Kingdom.
For British Pakistanis, dual nationals and NICOP holders who need someone in Pakistan to sell, rent, file a case or collect an inheritance for them — without handing over more power than the job needs.
Short answer. From the UK there are three valid routes: NADRA’s online power of attorney (for CNIC, NICOP and POC holders, no visit), signing at the Pakistan High Commission in London or a consulate in Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester or Glasgow, or a UK notary plus an apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office. The UK–Pakistan apostille route has worked since 9 March 2023. Draft it as a special power of attorney for one property or one case.
Reviewed by Khalil Ahmad Bhullah, Founding Partner · Last reviewed 7 October 2026 · Pakistani law only. We are Pakistani advocates. We are not solicitors in England and Wales or Scotland and do not advise on UK law.
What matters when you sign from the UK.
British passport only, no NICOP
NADRA’s online system needs a CNIC, NICOP or Pakistan Origin Card. If you hold only a British passport, sign before a UK notary and get the FCDO apostille, or sign in person at the High Commission or a consulate.
AJK property needs the right wording
A power of attorney for land in Mirpur, Kotli or Bhimber is used before Azad Jammu & Kashmir offices, not Punjab ones. We draft for the office that will actually receive it and confirm what that office accepts.
Housing societies have their own rules
DHA and other societies and development authorities often have their own procedure for transfers through an attorney, including their own forms and verification. We check the society’s current requirement before you sign, so the document passes first time.
How the file runs from the United Kingdom.
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.
Tell us the job
Which property or case, and exactly what the attorney may do. Sale, rent, a court case, a succession file — each needs different wording.
We send the wording
A special power of attorney naming the property by khasra, plot or file number, the act allowed, what is forbidden, where the money goes, and an end date.
You sign in the UK
Through NADRA online, the High Commission in London or a consulate, or a UK notary plus FCDO apostille. We confirm which one the receiving office in Pakistan will take before you book.
Verification and use
The original comes to Lahore. Where it is used to sell or transfer property it is presented for verification at the sub-registrar or society before the transfer desk acts on it.
A typical UK file.
A couple in Manchester want to sell a plot in a Lahore society. Neither can travel this year. The husband’s brother in Lahore will handle the sale.
We draft a special power of attorney: the plot by block and number, sale to a named buyer at not less than an agreed price, proceeds paid by banking channel into the couple’s own account, no mortgaging or further delegation, and an expiry date. Both sign through NADRA online. Before the brother goes to the society, we confirm the society’s attorney-transfer requirements so the file is accepted on the first visit.
Illustrative example, not a client file. Timelines depend on the court, the district and the other side.
Document route from the United Kingdom.
The single most expensive mistake overseas clients make is paying for the wrong signing route.
- Notary plus apostille. Sign before a UK notary, then an apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office. The Apostille Convention operates between the United Kingdom 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 Pakistan High Commission in London, or the consulates in Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester and Glasgow. The route for anyone with no Pakistani identity document who does not want the notary route.
- Documents issued in the UK — a death certificate, a decree, a deed poll — are apostilled by the FCDO Legalisation Office before use in Pakistan.
What we will ask for
- Your CNIC, NICOP or POC (or passport only, if you hold no Pakistani ID — the route changes).
- The attorney’s CNIC copy.
- Property identifiers: khasra or khewat numbers, or plot, block and society name, or registry number.
- Two witnesses with valid ID for the signing.
- For a sale: buyer’s name and the minimum price, and the bank account the proceeds must reach.
Time difference with Lahore.
- Lahore is 4 hours ahead of the UK in summer (BST) and 5 hours ahead in winter (GMT). Pakistan does not change its clocks.
- A 10:00 AM hearing in Lahore is 5:00 AM in London in winter and 6:00 AM in summer, so the day’s update is usually with you before UK lunchtime.
- The easiest window for a call is your morning: 9:00–11:00 AM in London is 2:00–4:00 PM in Lahore in winter, 1:00–3:00 PM in summer.
- 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 UK.
If you use a UK notary, yes: the FCDO Legalisation Office apostille makes it valid in Pakistan without attestation by a Pakistani mission. If you use NADRA’s online system or sign at the High Commission or a consulate, the mission attestation replaces the apostille.
Yes. Consular signing is available at the consulate that covers your area as well as at the High Commission in London. NADRA’s online route avoids the visit altogether if you hold a CNIC, NICOP or POC.
Special, almost always. A special power of attorney names one property and one purpose. A general power of attorney lets the attorney do almost anything with your property, and it is where most of the fraud files we see begin.
Sign a revocation deed through one of the same UK routes, send written notice to the attorney, and notify the sub-registrar, society or development authority and any bank. If the attorney has already sold or mortgaged, the transaction is challenged in court.
Read next.
Property cases from the UK
Occupied, rented out or sold behind your back.
Inheritance from the UK
Succession certificate and transfer to heirs.
Divorce & khula from the UK
Talaq, khula, maintenance and custody.
All matters for Pakistanis in the UK
The country desk: missions, time zones, every service.
Power of attorney from abroad: the full guide
The law and the routes, for clients in any country.
Child adoption from the UK
Court guardianship of a child in Pakistan.