Overseas Pakistanis: buying property safely from abroad

Buying property in Pakistan from abroad means trusting documents you can't inspect and people you may not meet. This guide covers paying, the power of attorney, your ID card, tax, and what to do if something goes wrong, quoting the law or the official source (checked on 21 October 2026, and the NADRA and SBP pages on 3 November 2026).

Paying for property from abroad

Through a Roshan Digital Account (RDA). The State Bank of Pakistan allows RDA holders to invest in "any kind of residential and commercial properties, both in lump sum and instalments", including new and existing housing schemes, land and built property, "either in the name of the account holder or jointly with his/her family member(s)".

Getting your money back out. "The principal amount invested can be repatriated at any time while the capital gain, if any, can be repatriated after three years from the date of investment." If you paid in instalments, the last instalment's date counts as the investment date.

One limit. "Funds generated either through rent or sale of the existing property cannot be deposited in RDA": property you owned before the account. Rent and gains from property bought through the RDA can go back in.

Source: SBP, Roshan Digital Account FAQs.

Pay only in your own name, from your account to the developer's or seller's account, and keep every receipt. Don't pay cash through an agent.

Roshan Apna Ghar: buying or building through your RDA

Roshan Apna Ghar is SBP's product for non-resident Pakistanis and POC holders with an RDA to "digitally and remotely buy a property, build or renovate a house in Pakistan through their own investment or bank financing".

• With your own funds: you choose the property, deposit copies of its title documents and nominate someone in Pakistan to complete the transfer; the bank values the property, screens the seller and pays them.
• With bank financing: conventional or Shariah-compliant, for 3 to 25 years. Against a lien on your RDA balance or Naya Pakistan Certificates, banks can finance up to 99% of the property's value to buy or build (40% to renovate), with no mortgage. Against a mortgage of the property, up to 85% (30% to renovate); then you either appear in person or give a special power of attorney attested by a Pakistan mission.
• Where to apply: the Roshan Apna Ghar page of your RDA bank, which also lists its pre-approved projects (SBP says these get faster loan approval; still check the scheme). SBP gives pricing as a benchmark plus a margin, not a dated rate, so ask the bank.

Source: SBP, Roshan Apna Ghar (checked in a browser on 3 November 2026).

Tax: the filer rate for NICOP and POC holders

When you buy or sell, you pay advance income tax: 236K as the buyer and 236C as the seller. The FBR says that for overseas Pakistanis these "shall be 'filer rate' even if they are 'non-filer'", if you hold a POC or NICOP and are non-resident, meaning "their stay in a financial year in Pakistan is less than 183 days".

The registering authority or housing society applies for this through the FBR's system, uploading your NICOP or POC, and the FBR approves it after checking. Under the Finance Act 2026, the filer rates are 1.25% for the buyer and 2.75% for the seller, each on the price or the FBR value, whichever is higher.

Source: FBR, overseas Pakistanis FAQs, published July 2025, before the Finance Act 2026. We could not find this rule in the Income Tax Ordinance itself, so ask the registering office to confirm it still applies. See also FBR value vs DC value.

NICOP, POC and the PakID app

Which card. NADRA issues the NICOP to Pakistani citizens living abroad, including dual nationals, and the POC to foreign nationals of Pakistani origin (former citizens, children or grandchildren of Pakistanis, and foreign spouses, with some nationalities excluded). NADRA says POC holders may "purchase, sell, or own moveable and immovable property in Pakistan according to applicable laws".

Why it matters. The card gets you the filer rate above, and the digital power of attorney and the Islamabad and Punjab special court laws below accept it.

Applying in PakID. NADRA's PakID app takes new NICOP and POC applications, and NICOP renewals and reprints: create an account, choose "New NICOP" or "New POC", fill in your details, upload the documents, pay and track it in the app. NADRA says biometrics and the photo "may require a visit to a NADRA Registration Centre".

Fees (NADRA's fee structure, normal processing): a new or renewed Smart NICOP is USD 39 in Zone A (USA and Europe) and USD 20 in Zone B (Middle East and Africa); a new POC is USD 150. Urgent and executive processing cost more.

Rates as of November 2026.

Sources: NADRA's NICOP, POC, PakID and fee structure pages (checked in a browser on 3 November 2026).

Power of attorney: giving one safely

Most overseas buyers act through an attorney in Pakistan, so the power of attorney (POA) matters most.

At a mission. A POA made abroad must be "executed before and authenticated by a Notary Public, or any Court, Judge, Magistrate, Pakistan Consul or Vice-Consul or representative of the Federal Government" before it can be used to register a deed. Source: Registration Act 1908, section 33(1)(c).

Online: NADRA's digital power of attorney. At poa.nadra.gov.pk, an overseas Pakistani with a valid NICOP, CNIC or POC can get a POA attested without visiting a mission, including where there is no mission in their country. The steps, from NADRA's how to apply page:

1. Upload a scan of the POA signed with your thumb impression, photo and two witnesses (unsigned copies are rejected), with the attorney's and witnesses' details.
2. You and both witnesses give fingerprints on NADRA's forms, which NADRA verifies; then pay by card, USD 36 for up to five executors (fees).
3. A consular officer of the mission you chose interviews you and the witnesses by video and decides the case. You give final consent within 15 days of NADRA's email.
4. Post the printed receipt with the original POA to your attorney, who must have them attested at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan before using them.

Rates as of November 2026.

Compared with a mission POA, the officer sees you by video, but NADRA issues no POA of its own: your paper original still travels, and MOFA's attestation is still needed. If your fingerprints fail after the allowed attempts, you go to the mission in person with your witnesses; a foreigner without a Pakistani ID goes in person after having the documents attested by their own country's foreign ministry. We read NADRA's public pages in a browser on 3 November 2026; the steps after sign-up need an account, and we did not apply. MOFA launched the service on 18 November 2021 as a pilot in ten missions in the US and UK (MOFA); the portal now has a list of Pakistan missions abroad to choose from.

Safeguards that cost nothing:

1. Make it specific. Name the one property (plot number, khasra or address) and the one act (buy, sell or transfer), not "all my properties".
2. Choose someone accountable. A close family member, or a lawyer you have checked, not an agent you met online.
3. Ask for proof before money moves. Get a fresh fard or verification report and the draft sale agreement by email first.
4. Revoke it when the job is done, in writing, and tell the registry office and the scheme.
5. Never sign blank papers or send signed blank stamp papers to anyone.

Check before you pay

Use our check before you pay page to verify the land and the scheme on official portals. In Islamabad, CDA describes an online Initial Property Verification Service, but its sign-up link did not work when we checked on 21 October 2026, so ask your attorney to verify at CDA's One Window office. For transfer costs, see property registration in Punjab.

If something goes wrong: special courts

Punjab, Islamabad and KP have special courts for property cases involving overseas Pakistanis. Each law says cases "in which one or more of the parties are overseas Pakistanis, shall be heard and adjudicated exclusively by a special court".

What else the laws say:

• Who can file: "the overseas Pakistani or anyone authorized by him in his behalf".
• You can take part by video link, and give evidence through a Pakistani embassy or consulate.
• Pending cases in other courts where an overseas Pakistani is a party move to the special court.
• Once notice is served, the other side may not transfer or part with the property. Such a transfer "shall be void".
• The 90 or 120 days is the time to decide the case, counted from when leave to defend is granted, not a deadline for you to file. Normal limitation periods apply.

Punjab has designated special court judges in all 37 districts, according to ProPakistani (11 November 2025), citing an official notification.

Sources: ICT Act 2024 (Gazette), sections 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 13 and 15; Punjab Act 2025 (Punjab Assembly bill text, pap.gov.pk), sections 2, 4, 9 and 10; KP Act 2026, sections 2, 4, 9 and 11.

Sindh has no special court law that we found. A Sindh cabinet decision in February 2026 approved a bill to let overseas Pakistanis register property through a NADRA-linked e-registration system without appearing in person.

Where to complain

The Federal Ombudsman's overseas cell handles complaints against federal government bodies, not disputes with private sellers.

Before you send money

Check the scheme (how), get the fard in the seller's name, give a specific POA, pay from your own account, and confirm the filer rate with your NICOP or POC. Keep every document and receipt: in a dispute, the special court route depends on proving you're an overseas Pakistani and what you paid.

FAQ

What is NADRA's digital power of attorney?

NADRA and MOFA's online attestation of a power of attorney at poa.nadra.gov.pk, for overseas Pakistanis with a valid NICOP, CNIC or POC: you upload your signed POA, give fingerprints with two witnesses, pay USD 36 for up to five executors and have a video interview with a consular officer. Your attorney then has it attested at MOFA in Pakistan.

Can I make a power of attorney for Pakistan online without going to the embassy?

Usually yes, even with no Pakistan mission in your country. You go in person if your fingerprints fail after the allowed attempts, or if you are a foreigner without a Pakistani ID.

What is a POC card and can POC holders buy property?

The Pakistan Origin Card is NADRA's card for foreign nationals of Pakistani origin. NADRA says POC holders may "purchase, sell, or own moveable and immovable property in Pakistan according to applicable laws".

What is PakID?

NADRA's official app, where you apply for a new NICOP or POC, renew or reprint a NICOP and track the application. Biometrics may still need a visit to a NADRA centre. The digital power of attorney is a separate website, poa.nadra.gov.pk.

Can overseas Pakistanis buy property without coming to Pakistan?

Yes, through an attorney. With Roshan Apna Ghar, SBP says no physical presence is needed when you pay from your RDA or borrow against a lien on it; for a mortgage-based loan you appear in person or give a special power of attorney.

More: property glossary and Apna Ghar for overseas applicants.