Guide
A divorce in Pakistan,
and a paper that travels
Two things have to be true before this is finished. The divorce has to be on record in Pakistan, and you need a paper from Pakistan that the country you live in will accept. This page is about the second one, and about who can get it for you.
Where this applies This page covers a divorce granted in Pakistan, and what has to happen to the paperwork before another country will accept it. What each country asks for is decided by that country, and it is not the same everywhere. What your religion asks of you is a third thing, and not something we write about.
What you are aiming for
Two things, not one. The divorce on record in Pakistan, and a paper from Pakistan that the country you live in will accept.
The first happens in Pakistan and ends with a certificate. The second is decided by the country you live in, not by Pakistan.
Getting the first and stopping there is what leaves people still married in the country they live in.
The apostille
Since 9 March 2023 Pakistan has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention. An apostille is a certificate that lets a public document go straight to the authorities in another country, instead of through a consulate first.
The country you live in has to be part of it as well. Not every country is.
A divorce certificate is on the list of documents Pakistan will apostille. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues it, at its head office in Islamabad and at its offices in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and Gujrat. An application can be started online.
The fee is set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is not published here. Ask your advocate what it is today.
Who can collect the papers
Divorce papers can only be attested by the two people who were married. Not a parent, not a brother, not a friend.
There is one way round that for someone living outside Pakistan. You can send a power of attorney naming a relative or a friend, signed by an authorised officer at a Pakistani embassy or consulate.
So this is not something you can finish from where you are. Someone has to stand at the counter in Pakistan, and your power of attorney has to say that they may.
What to ask before you agree
- Which office issues the certificate in my case, and who collects it?
- Does the country I live in take an apostille, or does it want something else?
- Does my power of attorney already cover this, or does it have to be redone?
- Who will stand at the counter, and what do you need from me to let them?
- What is your fee, and what is not included in it?
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Also relevant
Words you will meet
- apostille
- A certificate that lets a Pakistani document go straight to the authorities in another country.
- attestation
- An official stamp confirming that a document is genuine.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- The office in Pakistan that issues the apostille.
- divorce certificate
- The paper that shows the divorce is on record in Pakistan.