Pakistan High Commission Australia Attestation and Power of Attorney: A$20 per Document, NICOP Online Only
Pakistan High Commission Australia charges A$20 per document for attestation or a power of attorney, A$40 urgent. NICOP is online only. Find your office.
The Pakistan High Commission in Canberra charges A$20 per document to attest papers or a power of attorney, double for urgent work, and only a life certificate is free. It does not process NICOP at all: a CNIC, NICOP, POC or FRC in Australia is applied for online through NADRA only. Which office you use depends on the state you live in.
We read the attestation pages of the High Commission for Pakistan in Canberra, along with its power of attorney, NICOP, consular services and contact pages, on 1 November 2026. Many services in Australia work by post, which matters in a country where Perth is four hours by air from Canberra.
Your state decides whether you use Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne
Canberra serves the ACT, Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. The Consulate General in Melbourne serves South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. The Consulate General in Sydney serves New South Wales. Apply only to the office for your state.
| Office | States and territories |
|---|---|
| High Commission, Canberra | ACT, Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory |
| Consulate General, Melbourne | South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria |
| Consulate General, Sydney | New South Wales |
Canberra also covers Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Western Australia has an honorary consul in Perth, listed with a phone number of 08 9214 9722. The High Commission's pages do not say which services the honorary consul offers, so ask before you go.
NICOP in Australia is online only through NADRA
The High Commission's CNIC and NICOP page says a CNIC, NICOP, POC or FRC can only be applied for online through NADRA. The card is posted to your home after processing. The mission does not process NADRA applications and cannot give feedback on them.
For follow-up or a fingerprint error, the High Commission points you to NADRA directly on +92 51 111 786 100. The application steps, from account to fingerprints on the phone, are set out in renewing a NICOP online on Pak ID. If you have given up Pakistani nationality, you need a Pakistan Origin Card instead.
Keep the card valid. Your passport depends on it. The High Commission says passport applications for children aged 10 and above need a valid CRC, juvenile card or NICOP with the child's photo and fingerprints.
Attestation in Australia costs A$20 per document
The fee for attesting a document is A$20, paid by postal money order, bank cheque or EFTPOS. Urgent processing costs double, A$40. EFTPOS adds a surcharge. Only life certificates for pensioners are attested free.
For documents where you do not need to appear, the High Commission asks for these by post or in person:
- The original document.
- The attestation application form.
- Your passport copy, attested by a Justice of the Peace or a police station.
- Your CNIC or NICOP copy, attested the same way.
- The A$20 fee by postal money order, bank cheque or EFTPOS.
- A self-addressed express or registered post envelope.
Every paper from Pakistan must first carry the Foreign Office stamp, from Islamabad or a provincial office. Australian papers need DFAT, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, first. Degrees go through HEC before the Foreign Office, as set out in HEC degree attestation online.
A power of attorney needs you in person and costs A$20
Personal appearance is mandatory for a power of attorney, authority letter or affidavit. The fee is A$20 per document or per executant, whichever is more, and double for urgent processing. You sign in front of the attesting officer.
Bring two sets of the document, the application form, your original passport and CNIC or NICOP with copies, and a copy of the attorney's CNIC or NICOP. You also need three recent photographs, with one fixed on the document next to your signature. If witnesses are named, bring copies of their cards and have them sign.
The High Commission prefers the online route at poa.nadra.gov.pk, because it saves a long drive. The two routes are compared in making a power of attorney from abroad.
Some papers cannot be attested in Australia
The High Commission will not attest identity cards or their translations, criminal judgments or FIRs, domicile certificates, photographs, invitation letters, insurance papers, land sale papers or wills. IELTS and TOEFL certificates and character certificates from schools are also refused.
Divorce papers have their own rule. A divorce certificate must come from the chairman of the arbitration council or the union council secretary. Only one of the spouses can get it attested, though a person abroad can send a power of attorney for a relative to do it. A computerised divorce certificate is mandatory for a divorce deed.
The Canberra office is at 4 Perth Avenue, Yarralumla, ACT 2600, and its phone is (02) 6273 1114. It prefers email. The contact page shows walk-in hours of 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, with a Friday prayer break from 1 pm to 2 pm. The consular services page says 9:30 am to 4 pm. Go early to be safe, and email three days ahead if you travel from another city.
Common questions
Can I renew my NICOP at the Pakistan High Commission in Canberra?
No. The High Commission says CNIC, NICOP, POC and FRC applications are made online through NADRA only.
How much does attestation cost at the Pakistan High Commission in Australia?
A$20 per document, or A$40 for urgent processing. Life certificates are free.
Can I send documents by post?
Yes, for documents that do not need you present. Send JP-attested copies of your passport and CNIC and a return envelope.
Which office do I use if I live in Victoria?
The Consulate General in Melbourne, which also serves South Australia and Tasmania.
Do I need an appointment in Canberra?
No. The High Commission says it is walk-in, but asks people from other cities to email three days ahead.
Can the High Commission attest a domicile certificate?
No. Domicile is on its list of documents it does not attest.
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, attestation of other documents, power of attorney, CNIC and NICOP, consular services, passport, contact and Perth pages of the High Commission for Pakistan at pakistan.org.au, all on 1 November 2026. The EFTPOS charges page linked from the power of attorney page returned "page not found", so we could not check the surcharge. The Sydney and Melbourne consulates' own fees and addresses were not checked. The two pages give different closing times, and we have stated both.
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.
