Power of attorney for Pakistan, signed in the United States.
For Pakistani-Americans, POC holders and US citizens of Pakistani origin who need someone in Pakistan to sell, rent, file a case or handle an inheritance for them.
Short answer. From the US there are three valid routes: NADRA’s online power of attorney (CNIC, NICOP and POC holders), signing at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC or a consulate general in New York, Chicago, Houston or Los Angeles, or a US notary plus an apostille from the Secretary of State of the notary’s state. The apostille route has worked since Pakistan joined the Convention on 9 March 2023. Draft it 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 admitted in any US state and do not advise on US federal or state law.
What matters when you sign from the US.
The apostille comes from the notary’s state
A document notarised in New Jersey is apostilled by New Jersey, not by New York because you live there or by Washington. Mismatched state apostilles are a common reason for a wasted courier fee.
Pakistan Origin Card holders can go online
NADRA’s online system accepts POC holders, which covers many US-born children of Pakistani parents. A US citizen with no Pakistani identity document at all must use the notary route or the mission.
Remote online notarisation
A video-notarised document is valid in many US states, but Pakistani registrars and societies are cautious with it. For a sale or transfer we recommend an in-person notary, NADRA online or the mission unless we have confirmed the receiving office accepts it.
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.
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 US
Through NADRA online, the Embassy in Washington DC or a consulate general, or a US notary plus a state 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 US file.
A family in New Jersey has inherited a house in Faisalabad and wants to sell. The mother holds a NICOP; her two US-born sons hold POCs.
Each signs a special power of attorney through NADRA online in favour of a cousin in Faisalabad: the house by registry number, sale to a named buyer at not less than an agreed price, the money to the family’s own account by banking channel, no mortgaging or delegation, and an expiry date. US tax reporting on the proceeds is a question for their US tax adviser.
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
- 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 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.
The Secretary of State of the state where the notary is commissioned, or the US Department of State for federal documents. Pakistan then accepts it without attestation by a Pakistani mission, although some registrars still prefer a mission-attested document; we check first.
Yes, if you hold a CNIC, NICOP or Pakistan Origin Card. You apply at poa.nadra.gov.pk, give biometrics for yourself and two witnesses, pay online and take an online interview with the Pakistani mission you select.
It may be valid in the US state that issued it, but acceptance at a Pakistani sub-registrar or housing society is not guaranteed. We confirm with the receiving office before you rely on it for a property transaction.
Sign a revocation deed through one of the US 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, we challenge the transaction in court.
Read next.
Property cases from the US
Occupied, rented out or sold behind your back.
Inheritance from the US
Succession certificate and transfer to heirs.
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.
Power of attorney from abroad: 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.