The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Islamabad, along with its liaison offices in Karachi and Lahore, has introduced a new service to facilitate applicants seeking apostille attestation. This initiative, undertaken in collaboration with several courier companies, aims to simplify the document attestation process for citizens.
Under this arrangement, designated courier companies such as TCS, M&P, Gerry’s, Leopard, and ECS, operating in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi, will collect documents from applicants. These documents will then be processed for apostille attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Notably, the courier companies are authorized to accept all types of documents for apostille attestation, excluding Power of Attorney documents.
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The initiative follows Pakistan’s accession to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention) in 2023. According to the Foreign Office statement, this international convention simplifies the authentication of public documents by replacing multiple attestations with a single authentication certificate known as an “Apostille.” This certificate, issued by the competent authority in the document’s country of origin, allows the document to be presented directly to foreign authorities without further legalization requirements.
The Apostille Convention aims to eliminate the lengthy and expensive process of traditional document legalization, offering a quicker and more cost-effective authentication solution. The MoFA’s new apostille attestation service is expected to significantly enhance convenience for Pakistani citizens needing to authenticate documents for international use, ensuring a streamlined and efficient process.
