How to Close a Bank Account in Pakistan Properly

To close a bank account in Pakistan, visit your branch with your original CNIC, fill in the bank's account closure form, and hand back your unused cheque book and debit card. Before that, cancel standing instructions, unlink your Raast ID and download your statements. MCB's key fact statement lists closure on customer request as free.

Closing an account sounds like one signature. It is not, if salary, bills or a loan still touch it. We read the account terms and key fact statements that HBL, MCB and National Bank publish on their own websites, so the checklist below follows what banks actually ask for.

Do these five things before you close the account

Move every payment off the account first. Point your salary and incoming transfers to the new account, cancel standing instructions and auto-debits, unlink your Raast ID, clear any loan or card dues, and download the statements you will need later.

• Redirect incoming money. Give your employer, tenants or family the new IBAN, and wait until the first payment lands there.
• Cancel standing instructions and auto-debits. A monthly transfer due in the meantime may still go out. Cancel it in writing first.
• Unlink your Raast ID. A Raast ID can link to only one account. Allied Bank's Raast FAQ says you can delete and re-register it in the app, so move it to your new account. Our explainer on how Raast works covers the ID.
• Clear any linked loan or credit card. If a loan instalment or card bill is drawn from this account, expect the bank to ask you to settle it or move the repayment first.
• Download your statements. You may need them for a visa, a tax return or a dispute. Get them now, because a closed account is harder to pull records from. Our page on getting a bank statement online shows how.

How to close the account at the branch

Go to the branch where the account is held, ask for the account closure form, and fill it in. Return all unused cheques and surrender your debit card. Then take the balance as cash, a transfer to another account, or a pay order.

1. Visit your home branch. Take your original CNIC. MCB's key fact statement says to visit your branch and fill in the account closure form.
2. Fill in the closure form. Sign it as you signed your account opening form. Write the account number and how you want the balance paid.
3. Return unused cheques. HBL's terms say you must return all unused cheques, or tell the bank in writing that you have destroyed them.
4. Surrender your debit card. Both HBL and MCB ask for the card back. Cut it in front of the officer if they allow it.
5. Take the balance and a closure letter. Ask for a letter or stamped copy confirming the account is closed and the balance paid.

Keep that closure letter safely. If a charge or a tax notice ever arrives for the account, it is your proof.

What closing an account costs

MCB's key fact statement for its savings accounts lists closure of account on customer request at zero. Other banks set their own charge in their schedule of charges, so check the latest one or ask the branch before you go.

A closure fee is rarely the real cost. Charges for falling below the minimum balance in the months before you close can be larger. Our breakdown of what your bank charges lists the common ones.

Joint accounts, branch moves and accounts closed by the bank

A joint account needs every holder to agree. HBL's terms say any change to a joint account's instructions must come from all joint holders. To move branches at HBL, you open a new account and close the old one, and the money moves free.

Joint accounts. Plan for every holder to sign the closure form. If one holder has died, the rules differ: under an "either or survivor" mandate, HBL's terms let the survivor get the balance.

Accounts the bank closes. HBL's terms say the bank can close an account by giving reasonable written notice, and will send any balance by bank draft or pay order to the mailing address on its records. Keep your address up to date, or that draft goes to an old house.

Closing an account is not the same as leaving it dormant

An unused account does not close itself. MCB's key fact statement says an account not operated for one year becomes dormant. A dormant account still holds your money, and after ten years with no transaction the balance is treated as unclaimed and surrendered to the State Bank.

So walking away from an old account is not the same as closing it. If you find one you forgot, you can reactivate the dormant account and then close it properly. Money already surrendered to SBP can still be claimed back as an unclaimed deposit.

If the bank delays or refuses to close it

Put your request in writing and get a complaint number. SBP's complaint rules say banks must acknowledge a complaint within 48 hours and dispose of it within 15 days. If the bank still does not act, you can go to the Banking Mohtasib.

SBP's complaint portal FAQ says the Mohtasib is open to you if the bank does not respond within 45 days or you are not satisfied. The steps are in how to complain to the Banking Mohtasib.

Cancel any auto-debits before you close; the notice rules are in how to stop a standing instruction.

Common questions

Can I close my bank account online in Pakistan?

Usually not. The bank documents we read describe closing at the branch with a signed closure form. Some banks may allow a written request; ask yours.

Is there a charge to close a bank account?

It depends on the bank. MCB lists closure on customer request as zero. Check your bank's schedule of charges.

What happens to unused cheques when I close my account?

You must return them. HBL's terms also accept a written statement that you destroyed them.

Can I close an account at any branch?

Go to the branch where the account is held. That branch holds your signature card and records.

Will my account close if I stop using it?

No. It becomes dormant after a year of no use, at MCB, and the balance can be surrendered to SBP after ten years.

Can one joint holder close a joint account?

Expect the bank to want every holder. HBL's terms say changes to a joint account need all joint holders.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 1 October 2026. We read HBL's terms and conditions for general accounts for the unused cheque, debit card, branch transfer, joint account and bank closure clauses; MCB's key fact statement for deposit products dated December 2023 for the closure form, the zero closure charge and the one year dormancy rule; National Bank's key fact statement for deposit products; Allied Bank's Raast FAQ for deleting a Raast ID; SBP's Consumer Grievances Handling Mechanism for complaint timelines; and the SBP Sunwai portal FAQ for the 45 day Mohtasib route and the ten year surrender rule. Closure charges at banks other than MCB were not quoted because we could not read them clearly at source.