MOFA Attestation Online in Pakistan: e-Certificate Portal, Revenue Stamps and 6 Offices (2026)
MOFA attestation moved online on 12 October 2026. Submit on the portal, get an e-Certificate by email. Stamps cost Rs 10 or Rs 25, apostille Rs 3,000 and up.
MOFA attestation in Pakistan now runs online: since Monday 12 October 2026 you submit documents on the Foreign Office portal at portal-attestation.mofa.gov.pk, and the attestation comes back as an e-Certificate by email. General attestation still carries no fee beyond revenue stamps of Rs 10 or Rs 25. Apostille goes through the same portal and costs Rs 3,000 to Rs 12,000 a document.
For years, the Foreign Office stamp meant a morning in the Consular Services Hall in Islamabad or a camp office queue. We read the notice on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation page and its May 2026 standard operating procedures on 1 November 2026. The new Digital Attestation System covers the ministry in Islamabad and its five liaison offices in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Gujrat.
The MOFA Digital Attestation System started on 12 October 2026
From 12 October 2026, MOFA issues an electronic certificate by email for both general and apostille attestation, once the process and any prescribed fee are complete. The ministry says most applicants no longer need to visit, except in exceptional cases.
The notice compares the new e-Certificate to the system HEC already uses for degrees. It tells officers to push applicants towards electronic submission. So if you turn up at a counter with paper, expect to be asked why you did not use the portal.
The login page we opened calls itself the "General Attestation and Apostille Portal". It offers two services: general attestation for international and official use, and apostille for countries in the Hague Convention. New users pick "Create Applicant Account", then sign in with an email address and password.
Your document needs its first stamp before MOFA will touch it
MOFA attests the signature of the body that issued or verified your paper, so that body must stamp it first. Board certificates go through IBCC, university degrees through HEC, and technical certificates through the local board and NAVTTC.
The SOPs list the first stamp for each document type, and the revenue stamp value that goes with it:
| Document | First attested by | Revenue stamp |
|---|---|---|
| Matric or Inter certificate | IBCC | Rs 10 |
| University degree | HEC | Rs 25 |
| Technical skills certificate | Local technical board and NAVTTC | Rs 25 |
| ACCA certificate | British Council and ACCA | Rs 25 |
| CA result or certificate | ICAP | Rs 25 |
| Hifz-ul-Quran certificate | IBCC | Rs 10 |
| Police character certificate | Issued by the District Police Officer | Not stated |
The board route is set out in IBCC attestation of Matric and Inter certificates, and the degree route in HEC degree attestation online. HEC has its own lookalike website problem too, so check the address before you pay anyone. MOFA and HEC also agreed in October to link their databases, which the MOFA and HEC database agreement explains.
How to apply for MOFA attestation online
Create an applicant account on the portal, choose general attestation or apostille, and submit your already attested documents electronically. MOFA processes the request and emails the e-Certificate when the process and payment are done.
- Get the first stamp on your document from IBCC, HEC, the board or the issuing office.
- Open the MOFA attestation portal and choose "Create Applicant Account".
- Sign in with your registered email and password.
- Pick General Attestation or Apostille for the document.
- Submit the document and your details electronically, as the portal asks.
- Pay any amount the portal shows, then watch your email for the e-Certificate.
We did not create an account, so we cannot show the screens after the login page or say which files the portal asks for. Keep clear scans of the document and both sides of your CNIC ready. The separate apostille portal has asked for exactly that since July, as covered in MOFA apostille online registration.
General attestation is free, apostille costs Rs 3,000 to Rs 12,000
MOFA charges no fee for general attestation, only the prescribed revenue stamps. Apostille is a paid service: Rs 3,000 for a personal or educational document, Rs 4,500 for a legal one and Rs 12,000 for a commercial one, per document.
The apostille rates have stood since 8 July 2024. One point is not clear. The October notice says the e-Certificate is issued after "payment of the prescribed fee", while the SOPs say general attestation carries no fee at all. Our reading is that the fee wording refers to apostille and to stamps. But MOFA has not said so in plain words, so check the amount on the portal before you pay.
Some papers still need you at the counter
A power of attorney, divorce certificate, commercial document or affidavit still needs the person to appear. The SOPs say these cannot go through a courier, and the online notice keeps physical presence for exceptional cases.
The SOPs also set language and validity rules. MOFA attests documents in Urdu or English only. A translation must show English in a column on the same page. Attestation of permanent documents, such as birth certificates, nikah nama, degrees, death certificates and NADRA records, stays valid. And a liaison office stamp counts the same as one from Islamabad.
A nikah nama has its own list of supporting papers, set out in nikah nama attestation for a spouse visa. Domicile certificates and property papers cannot be attested at all.
MOFA offices and couriers if you cannot use the portal
The Consular Services Hall in Islamabad is on Constitution Avenue, G-5, and opens Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm. Liaison offices work in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Gujrat, and five couriers accept documents.
| Office | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Islamabad | Consular Services Hall, Constitution Avenue, G-5 | 051-9215803-4 |
| Karachi | Main Shahrah-e-Faisal, next to FTC Building | 021-99204989-90 |
| Lahore | 43-N, Gulberg-III | 042-99268247-8 |
| Peshawar | House 18-C/2, Gul Mohar Lane, University Town | 091-9218126 |
| Quetta | Room 28, 2nd Floor, Block 7, Civil Secretariat | 081-9203155 |
The SOPs do not give an address for Gujrat, though the notices name it as a sixth office. The authorised couriers are TCS, Gerry's, ECS, Leopards and M&P. They charge their own service fee on top. For apostille queries, the ministry's help desk is on WhatsApp at +92 307 1339682.
Common questions
Do I still have to visit MOFA for attestation?
Usually not. Since 12 October 2026 you can submit online and get an e-Certificate by email. A power of attorney, affidavit, divorce or commercial paper still needs you in person.
How much does MOFA attestation cost?
General attestation is free apart from revenue stamps of Rs 10 or Rs 25. Apostille costs Rs 3,000, Rs 4,500 or Rs 12,000 a document.
Will an embassy accept the e-Certificate?
MOFA says it works like the HEC e-system. We could not confirm which foreign embassies accept it, so ask the embassy that will receive your paper.
Can MOFA attest my degree directly?
No. HEC must attest a university degree first, and IBCC must countersign a board certificate first.
Can a relative get my documents attested?
Yes. A blood relative can, if they prove the relation. Anyone else needs your authority letter attested by the Pakistan embassy where you live.
Which documents can MOFA not attest?
The MOFA lists exclude domicile certificates, photographs, invitation letters, visa notes and property sale or purchase papers.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 1 November 2026. We read the attestation page at mofa.gov.pk, including the 12 October 2026 Digital Attestation System notice and the 27 July 2026 apostille notice, the MOFA Standard Operating Procedures for Attestation of Documents dated May 2026, and the login page of portal-attestation.mofa.gov.pk, all on 1 November 2026. We did not register on the portal or submit a document. So we could not check the upload screens, the processing time for online requests, how stamps are paid online, or which embassies accept the e-Certificate. The SOPs give no address for the Gujrat office.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
