MOFA Online Attestation & Apostille Pakistan 2026: How to Apply

Pakistan Attestation Guide · Part 1 Updated November 2026

MOFA Online Attestation & Apostille: How to Apply

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has moved document attestation online. Here is what changed, what it costs, and the steps from sign-up to collecting your documents.

 

What Changed?

On 12 October 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) started a digital attestation system in place of the old manual one. It runs at MOFA Islamabad and its liaison offices (FALOs) in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Gujrat.

Before

• Stand in a queue with your documents
• Queue again for a token and wait for your number
• Queue to hand in the documents
• Wait, then come back to collect them

Now

• Apply and upload your documents online
• An officer checks them on the portal
• Book an appointment and pay online
• Visit the office on your date and collect the same day

MOFA Online Attestation: Key Facts

Question	Answer
Started	12 October 2026
Where to apply	portal-attestation.mofa.gov.pk
Services	General Attestation and Apostille, with one account for both
Several documents?	Yes. One application can hold many documents
When do I pay?	After the officer approves your documents and you book an appointment
Collection	On your appointment day, from the delivery counter after 1 to 3 hours
Check a certificate	Free verification pages on the MOFA attestation site

Will I get the certificate by email or at the office? MOFA's announcement graphics talk about receiving an e-certificate by email. The portal's own "How to apply" page says you visit the FALO office on your appointment date and collect the attested documents there. Follow the instructions in your portal account, because they are the ones that apply to your application. We will update this guide when MOFA clarifies.

Which Service Do You Need?

Apostille

For countries that accept the Apostille. One certificate and you are done. See our next guide for how it works.

General Attestation

The standard route for countries that do not use the Apostille. The receiving country's embassy may also need to legalise the document afterwards.

Going to Malaysia? MOFA's country directory lists Malaysia under General Attestation, not Apostille. Use the MOFA country directory to check any other country before you apply. Always confirm with the office that will receive your document.

Fees (per document)

Document type	General Attestation	Apostille
Personal	Rs 10	Rs 3,000
Educational	Rs 10	Rs 3,000
Experience certificates	Rs 10	Rs 3,000
Legal	Rs 60	Rs 4,500
Commercial	Rs 60	Rs 12,000

Source: MOFA fee structure page. Check the total on your fee challan before you pay. Sending an application does not create a challan: it appears only after approval and booking.

How to Apply, Step by Step

Step 1: Create your account

Go to portal-attestation.mofa.gov.pk and choose Create Applicant Account. You enter your name, email address, CNIC number and a password. Then verify your email.

Step 2: Complete your profile

After you sign in, open Account Settings and fill in your profile. Fields marked with a red star are required:

• Name: first name (required), middle name and last name
• Phone number (required): type it without the leading 0, for example 300 1234567
• Province, city and full address (all required), and your occupation if you wish
• Profile picture (required): a JPG or PNG image, up to 2 MB
• CNIC, front and back (required): one PDF with both sides, up to 2 MB

Your email and CNIC number come from sign-up and cannot be edited here. Scan both sides of the CNIC into a single PDF before you start.

Step 3: Start an application

Choose Apostille or General Attestation, then add each document with its type and upload clear, complete scans. You can add several documents to one application.

Step 4: Wait for approval

An officer at the Foreign Affairs Liaison Office (FALO) checks your application. Do not book anything until your documents are approved.

Step 5: Book an appointment and pay

After approval, pick an available appointment at the FALO office. Your fee challan then appears and you pay online through the portal.

Step 6: Visit the office and collect

Go on your appointment date with the original documents, the required copies, your ID and the paid challan details. Collect the attested documents from the delivery counter after 1 to 3 hours. If the office needs a physical check, they will contact you.

Use the official site only. The portal and fee page are on mofa.gov.pk addresses. Never give your CNIC or password to agents or to pages that ask you to pay outside the portal.

What to Prepare for Each Document Type

Educational

• Original degree or certificate, with a copy
• University degrees: HEC authentication first
• School and board certificates: IBCC authentication first

Personal

• Original civil record (birth, marriage and so on)
• Supporting identity documents
• Correct signature and stamp of the issuing authority

Experience certificates

• Original on the organisation's letterhead
• Name, signature and stamp of the authorised signatory
• Any extra attestation for your profession

Legal and commercial

• Original document and supporting papers
• Powers of attorney and affidavits: the signer must come in person
• Commercial papers: Chamber of Commerce attestation where needed

These are summaries from MOFA's checklist. Each document has its own exceptions in the official SOPs.

How to Check That an Attestation Is Genuine

MOFA has two verification pages, one for General Attestation and one for Apostille. Choose the one that matches your document, then enter the number and issue date exactly as printed on it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Choosing Apostille when the destination country needs General Attestation, or the other way round.
• Skipping the HEC or IBCC step on degrees and certificates.
• Blurred or cut-off scans. Upload clear, complete pages.
• Booking the appointment before the documents are approved. You cannot.
• Arriving on the wrong day. Come on your booked appointment date.
• Forgetting that powers of attorney and affidavits need the signer in person.

Frequently Asked Questions

According to the portal's "How to apply" page, yes: you visit the FALO office on your appointment date and collect after 1 to 3 hours. The queues and tokens are replaced by the online booking.

No. One applicant account works for both services.

MOFA's attestation site still lists authorised courier companies (TCS, Gerry's International, Excellent Courier Services, Leopards and M&P Express Logistics). Ask the courier or MOFA how they fit with the new online process before you use one.

MOFA's attestable documents list is on its site. Under the May 2026 MOFA procedures, items such as CNICs, FIRs, domicile certificates, photographs, invitation letters, visa notes and land registry papers were not attested. Check the current list before you apply.

Malaysia is not listed among the countries that accept the Apostille for Pakistani documents. MOFA's directory lists it under General Attestation, and the Malaysian embassy may also need to legalise the document. We will cover this in a later guide.

The CNIC must be one PDF with the front and back, no bigger than 2 MB. The profile picture must be a JPG or PNG, also up to 2 MB. If a file is too large, scan at a lower quality or use a PDF compressor, but keep the text readable.

 

Last checked 11 November 2026. This guide is for general information only. Spicy Blogging is not connected with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fees and steps can change, so confirm them on the official portal.

Sources

• MOFA attestation site: Application procedure
• MOFA General Attestation & Apostille Portal, Account Settings page (portal version 1.0.0)
• MOFA attestation site: Fee structure
• MOFA attestation site: SOPs and checklist
• MOFA attestation site: Country directory
• MOFA: Consular services notices (announcement of 12 October 2026)

Ishtiaq Ahmad on November 11, 2026