Signing a power of attorney in Pakistan for use in the UAE
Both governments publish their half. The UAE Consulate General in Karachi says a power of attorney must be signed before a notary or legal authority in Pakistan and attested by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs before the UAE attests it digitally. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs adds its own conditions: powers of attorney meant for abroad go on stamp paper with photographs, a property power of attorney is first attested by the District Registrar, and the executant must appear in person. Couriers are not accepted for powers of attorney.
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What Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires
The Ministry’s consular attestation page sets conditions that are specific to powers of attorney, and stricter than for most documents.
- "All Powers of Attorneys meant for abroad are required to be prepared on stamp paper along with passport size photographs of the Executant(s)."
- "Power of Attorney for abroad regarding sale purchase of property collection of dues etc. is required to be attested by local District Registrar and the executant(s) is required to come in person with original identity card and passport size picture."
- Courier companies may be used for other documents, "except Power of Attorney and Affidavits for which physical presence is mandatory."
- "No fee is charged for any type of attestation either by the Ministry or its Camp Offices. Only prescribed value revenue stamps are required to be pasted on the documents submitted for attestation."
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan - Attestation of documents
What the UAE Consulate General in Karachi requires
Karachi’s Digital Attestation page says Pakistan-issued documents "must be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan" first, and that powers of attorney "must be signed before a local notary or legal authority in Pakistan, then attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan."
It then attests them through one application: "One service, two attestations: One application covers both the UAE Consulate General in Karachi and the UAE MoFA in the UAE." It also states that "A power of attorney containing commercial content is considered a commercial document."
Source: UAE Consulate General in Karachi, Digital Attestation
The route side by side
The two ministries’ steps, in the order a document passes through them.
| Step | Who does it | What is required |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Drafting | You, with whoever drafts it | Stamp paper, with the executant’s passport-size photographs (Pakistan MOFA) |
| 2. Signing | A notary or legal authority in Pakistan | Named by the UAE Consulate General in Karachi |
| 3. Property POAs | The local District Registrar | Executant in person, with original identity card and photograph (Pakistan MOFA) |
| 4. Foreign ministry | Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Physical presence mandatory for POAs; revenue stamps; no attestation fee (Pakistan MOFA) |
| 5. UAE attestation | UAE Consulate General and UAE MOFA, one application | Original document collected by a MOFA-approved provider (UAE mission) |
Apostille or attestation
Pakistan now also runs an apostille service. Neither the Pakistani ministry’s page nor the UAE Consulate’s page says that an apostille replaces the attestation route for a document going to the UAE, and the UAE is not listed among the Contracting Parties in the Hague Conference’s status table. The UAE Consulate describes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation route.
When we read the Pakistani ministry’s page, it also carried a notice that the apostille online portal had been temporarily suspended.
The other direction is a different page
If you are in the UAE and the document is for use in Pakistan, the Embassy of Pakistan in the UAE publishes its own route and will execute the document itself. That is the guide to a power of attorney from the UAE for Pakistan.
Questions
Can someone else take my power of attorney to the Ministry for me?
Not according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It excludes powers of attorney from courier submission because "physical presence is mandatory", and requires the executant of a property power of attorney to appear before the District Registrar in person.
Does it have to be on stamp paper?
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says all powers of attorney meant for abroad must be prepared on stamp paper, with passport-size photographs of the executant.
What does Pakistan’s Ministry charge?
It states that no fee is charged for attestation, and that prescribed revenue stamps must be pasted on the documents. Its apostille service has a separate published fee.
Which UAE mission should I use in Pakistan?
The UAE has an Embassy in Islamabad and a Consulate General in Karachi. Karachi’s page is the one quoted here; the Islamabad page carries the same template text.
What this page does not do
- The UAE Embassy in Islamabad’s page names "Nepal" in its power-of-attorney line, an evident template error. This page relies on the Karachi page for that sentence.
- Neither ministry states whether a Pakistani apostille can replace attestation for use in the UAE. This page does not assume it can.
- Whether the document is sufficient for a particular transaction is decided by the UAE authority that receives it.
- The Deedbox is not a law firm and not a notary. It does not legalise, apostille or attest documents, and does not act for anyone before a mission, a foreign ministry or a court.