Guide
I need a police certificate
from Pakistan
Immigration and employment offices abroad often ask for a paper from the police in Pakistan saying you have no record. It is issued by the police of the province where you last lived, and it can be applied for from abroad. This page shows how, and what to do when the answer is not what you expected.
Where this applies This page covers a police character certificate issued in Pakistan. What the office abroad accepts, and for how long, is that office’s rule. Ask it before you apply.
What this is about
The certificate is issued by the provincial police for the district where you last lived in Pakistan. Most provinces now take the application online, and Pakistani missions abroad can submit it for you. The certificate is then attested, so that the office abroad accepts it.
Where an advocate is needed is when something is wrong: a case in your name that you did not know about, a name that matches someone else’s, a station that will not issue, or a certificate that has to come from a district you cannot reach. Each of those is a piece of legal work, not a form.
What has to be in place
What has to be clear.
Which district you last lived in, because that police force issues it.
Whether there is anything in your name: a report, a case, a name on a list.
Which office abroad wants it, and in what form.
Note Your advocate confirms which of these apply to your case.
The documents you will be asked for
The papers asked for.
- Your identity card or NICOP, and your passport.
- Proof of where you lived in Pakistan.
- Photographs, and the form the province uses.
How an advocate helps from where you are
What an advocate does.
- Applies for you where you cannot apply yourself, and follows it at the station.
- Finds out what is in your name before you apply, so that there is no surprise.
- Deals with a case or a report that stands in the way; see the page on a false case.
- Gets the certificate attested and sent to you.
What to ask before you agree
- Is there anything in my name that the certificate will show?
- Can you apply for me, and how long does the station usually take?
- Will you get it attested and sent to me?
- What do you need from me, and by when?
- What is your fee, and what is not included in it?
More in Citizenship and identity
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Also relevant
Words you will meet
- character certificate
- The paper from the police saying whether there is a record in your name.
- attestation
- The stamps that make the certificate acceptable abroad.
- report
- A police report in your name, which the certificate will show.
Sources
Official pages read on 11 September 2026. The page says only what these say, and what an advocate does; nothing specific to your case.
Checked
11 September 2026
Pakistan. Sources listed at the end of the page.