How to Send Money Abroad for Medical Treatment from Pakistan: US$50,000 to the Hospital Through Your Bank

A Pakistani bank can remit up to US$50,000 for a resident Pakistani's medical treatment abroad, paid straight to the foreign hospital, and can give US$5,000 in cash each to the patient and one attendant. At the State Bank's rate of Rs 276.85 on 22 October 2026, US$50,000 is about Rs 13.84 million. The bank needs a form, the hospital's invoice and a self-declaration first.

Families usually learn about this rule only after a hospital abroad asks for a deposit. We read the State Bank of Pakistan's Foreign Exchange Manual, chapter 17 on travel, on 22 October 2026. The rule sits in paragraph 23, and the sections below show how it works in practice, what the bank must see and what to do when your costs run higher.

The limit is US$50,000 and the money goes to the hospital, not to you

The manual lets authorised dealers, which means banks, remit up to US$50,000 or the equivalent in another currency for a resident Pakistani's treatment, once they are satisfied the transaction is genuine. The money must go to the hospital's account by SWIFT, telegraphic transfer or demand draft.

The manual calls the destination a "reputable foreign hospital". It does not say you can send the money to a doctor, a relative abroad or a middleman. That matters, because many families wire money to a relative first and lose the paper trail the bank wants. The same manual treats university fees abroad in the same way, as we explain in the guide to sending university fees abroad.

The rupee column uses SBP's revaluation rate of 22 October 2026 and is our arithmetic. Your bank will convert at its own selling rate, which is higher. How to judge that rate is in checking the dollar rate you are offered.

You need three papers: Appendix V-72, the hospital's invoice and a self-declaration

The bank must see Appendix V-72 filled in by the patient, next of kin or sponsor, the foreign hospital's invoice or estimate, and a self-declaration stating the amount of foreign exchange the treatment essentially needs. The bank keeps all three for SBP inspection.

1. Get a written estimate or invoice from the foreign hospital, with its bank details.
2. Ask your bank for Appendix V-72 and fill it in as patient, next of kin or sponsor.
3. Write the self-declaration of the amount you essentially need for treatment.
4. Submit all three, with your CNIC, at a branch that offers foreign exchange services.
5. Ask the bank to send the money to the hospital by SWIFT, telegraphic transfer or demand draft.
6. Keep the bank's transfer advice and the hospital's receipt.

The manual does not list a CNIC or an account in the paragraph, but a bank will ask for identity and an account under its ordinary account rules. A rule such as the one on asking for income proof may apply on top.

The patient and one attendant can each take US$5,000 in cash

On top of the hospital payment, a bank may also release cash foreign exchange equal to US$5,000 each to the patient and one attendant. The bank must endorse the cash on their passports. That is US$10,000 in cash for the pair, for living costs on the trip.

The endorsement matters because it records the amount against your passport. The wider travel cash limits for people leaving the country are in the guide to the foreign currency limit when leaving Pakistan. The manual's general travel rule adds that a bank sells exchange only to a person with a ticket for departure on a fixed date, no later than two weeks away.

Above US$50,000 the bank refers the case to the State Bank in Karachi

If your need is higher, the bank forwards the case to the Director, Foreign Exchange Operations Department, SBP Banking Services Corporation, Head Office, Karachi, with its justification and your documents. The State Bank considers the case. Paragraph 40 says amounts above the limit are released after the bank checks the evidence, under advice to or with prior approval of that department.

For a large sum, start early. The paragraph gives no time limit for the State Bank's decision, and we did not find one. Ask the bank to confirm in writing when it forwards the case, and keep the reference.

Banks must display the facility and keep currency in stock

A 2018 SBP circular letter, noted in the manual's footnotes, tells banks to show information on medical treatment remittances at each authorised branch, hold enough major currencies, make brochures available and publish a list of branches that offer the service on their websites.

If your branch has never heard of the facility, ask for the branch list on the bank's website and go to one that offers it. If the bank still refuses without a reason, the route is the bank's complaint desk first, then SBP's complaint portal. The banking ombudsman route is in the guide to the banking mohtasib.

The manual may be behind the circulars. The chapter has no revision date, and some chapters still show older rules. So treat US$50,000 as the figure in the manual we read, and ask your bank to confirm that no later SBP instruction has changed it.

Common questions

How much can I send abroad for medical treatment from Pakistan?

Up to US$50,000 or equivalent per case through a bank, paid to the foreign hospital, according to the State Bank's Foreign Exchange Manual.

Can I send the money to my relative abroad instead?

The paragraph says remittances go to the hospital's account. It does not provide for a relative or a doctor, so ask your bank before sending anywhere else.

Can the patient carry cash?

Yes. The bank may release US$5,000 in cash to the patient and US$5,000 to one attendant, endorsed on their passports.

What if the treatment costs more than US$50,000?

The bank sends the case to SBP's Foreign Exchange Operations Department in Karachi with your documents and a justification.

Which form do I need?

Appendix V-72, filled in by the patient, next of kin or sponsor, plus the hospital invoice or estimate and a self-declaration of the amount needed.

Can I pay the hospital with a card instead?

Cards have separate limits and a tax rule, set out in the card limit guide and the card tax guide.

How we verified this

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

Last checked 22 October 2026. The limits, documents, cash allowance and referral rule are from paragraph 23 and paragraph 40 of chapter 17 of the State Bank of Pakistan's Foreign Exchange Manual, listed on the manual's index page, which we read on 22 October. The rupee amounts use SBP's revaluation rate of 22 October and are our arithmetic. The manual has no revision date, and we could not confirm that no later instruction changed these amounts. We did not test a remittance at any bank.