HEC, IBCC and MOFA attestation, and apostille: what each document needs

Many visas, jobs and universities abroad ask for Pakistani documents that have been attested or apostilled. Which stamps you need depends on the document and on the country you are going to. This guide explains HEC, IBCC and MOFA attestation and the apostille, with their current fees, and which countries accept what.

Which document needs what

• University degree or transcript: HEC attestation first. Then a MOFA apostille, or MOFA attestation followed by the embassy for countries that do not accept the apostille.
• Matric and intermediate (SSC and HSSC) certificates: verification by your board, then IBCC attestation, then MOFA.
• O and A levels: IBCC equivalence, then IBCC attestation, then MOFA.
• NADRA birth certificate, Family Registration Certificate (FRC) or Marriage Registration Certificate: straight to MOFA.
• Union council birth certificate: signed by the union council secretary, then MOFA.
• Nikah Nama: with the Marriage Registration Certificate and the bride's CNIC (or an FRC), then MOFA.
• Police character certificate: issued by the District Police Officer, then MOFA. Some embassies ask for a different police certificate, so check theirs.

HEC degree attestation

Since 11 May 2026, HEC degree attestation is fully online and paperless. You do not visit HEC or send your original degree.

1. Sign up on HEC e-services (opens in a new tab) and choose Degree Attestation. Enter your details exactly as they appear on your CNIC.
2. Choose the documents: degree, transcript, provisional certificate or HEC equivalence letter, and upload scans of them and of your CNIC.
3. Pay Rs 3,000 per document through 1-Link 1-Bill, then verify the payment.
4. HEC checks your details with NADRA and asks your university to verify the documents.
5. HEC issues an e-Attestation Certificate, tells you by SMS and email, and anyone can verify it on HEC's website. If you then need an apostille on the degree, ask MOFA how to submit it: its pages do not yet say how this works with the e-certificate.

HEC no longer attests photocopies, and attestations done under the old system stay valid. Foreign degrees are not attested: HEC issues an equivalence letter for them instead.

IBCC attestation for school certificates

IBCC (the Inter Boards Coordination Commission) attests matric and intermediate certificates and mark sheets, technical board certificates and school leaving certificates. It does not attest degrees.

1. Your board must verify the certificate first.
2. Register on IBCC's attestation portal (attest.ibcc.edu.pk) and choose an appointment (Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Bahawalpur, Quetta or Peshawar), courier or the express service.
3. Pay online, then take or send the printed form, the original certificates with one copy each, the payment receipt, and copies of your own and your father's CNIC.

IBCC fees: Rs 1,200 per original certificate and Rs 600 per photocopy. The express service costs Rs 3,000 per original and Rs 1,500 per photocopy. Equivalence for foreign qualifications such as O and A levels costs Rs 6,000. IBCC attestation carries a QR code and does not expire.

MOFA attestation

MOFA attests documents that have already been attested by HEC, IBCC or the issuing authority, and NADRA and union council documents.

• Where: the Consular Services Hall on Constitution Avenue, G-5, Islamabad, and camp offices in Lahore (43-N Gulberg III), Karachi (Shahrah-e-Faisal, next to the FTC Building), Peshawar (University Town) and Quetta (Civil Secretariat). A camp office stamp counts the same as Islamabad's.
• What to bring: your original CNIC and a photocopy of each document. A blood relative can go for you.
• Fee: MOFA charges no fee for attestation. You only add revenue stamps: Rs 10 for IBCC and NADRA documents, and Rs 25 for HEC degrees.
• Time: general documents are usually attested within two hours.
• By courier: MOFA works with TCS, Gerry's, Leopards, ECS and M&P. Their charges are extra.

The apostille

Pakistan joined the Hague Apostille Convention in 2022, and it came into force for Pakistan on 9 March 2023. MOFA has issued apostilles since 17 May 2024. An apostille replaces embassy legalisation in countries that accept it.

1. Since 27 July 2026, you must first register on MOFA's apostille portal (opens in a new tab): upload your CNIC and documents and wait for approval by email.
2. Pay the challan sent to you (online, through Easypaisa or at a bank).
3. Visit the MOFA office on the date you are given: Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta or Gujrat.

Apostille fees per document: Rs 3,000 for personal and educational documents, Rs 4,500 for legal documents and Rs 12,000 for commercial documents. The apostille is attached to your document and can be checked by QR code.

Which countries accept a Pakistani apostille

• Accept it: the UK, Canada, Spain and Saudi Arabia are parties to the Convention.
• Do not accept it: Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands and Poland objected to Pakistan joining, so the Convention does not apply between them and Pakistan. German missions in Pakistan do not legalise Pakistani documents, so ask the German mission what your Germany application needs: degrees may need HEC attestation and proof of recognition.
• Not parties: the UAE and Qatar. Documents need MOFA attestation and then the embassy's. The UAE Embassy's digital attestation also covers the UAE foreign ministry and takes 2 to 3 working days.

Follow the Hague Conference's official status table if anyone tells you otherwise: some older lists still name countries that objected.