Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions overseas Pakistanis ask us most often. Each answer names the authority or publication it rests on so you can check it yourself. Nothing here is legal advice.

1. How do I check that a plot or house really exists in the record?

Ask for the record from the authority that maintains it, not from the seller. In Punjab, computerised land records (fard) are issued through the Punjab Land Records Authority service centres and its online portal. In Sindh, records sit with the Board of Revenue Sindh. For land inside a housing scheme, the scheme's own allotment and transfer register is the record that matters, and the development authority (for example CDA in Islamabad or LDA in Lahore) holds the approval status of the scheme itself.

Source: Punjab Land Records Authority; Board of Revenue Sindh; CDA and LDA published scheme lists.

2. Does an allotment letter or a file prove I own land?

No. An allotment letter records that a scheme has allotted a plot number to a person on its books. A file that is traded before balloting may not correspond to any demarcated plot at all. Ownership of land is proved by a registered transfer in the revenue record, plus possession and a demarcation on the ground.

Source: Registration Act 1908; provincial revenue department transfer procedures.

3. Is the housing scheme I am buying into approved?

Check the approval list published by the relevant authority, not the developer's brochure. CDA, RDA, LDA and the Sindh Building Control Authority each publish lists of approved, unapproved and illegal schemes, and these lists change. A scheme can be approved in part — some sectors approved, others not.

Source: CDA, RDA, LDA and SBCA published scheme status lists.

4. Can I buy or sell property in Pakistan without travelling there?

Usually yes, through a power of attorney. For an overseas Pakistani the attested route is: execute the document before the Pakistani mission in your country, have it attested by that mission, then get it attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan and registered where required. Registrars and banks routinely reject powers of attorney that skip the mission attestation.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation procedure; Pakistani missions abroad.

5. What is the safest way to write a power of attorney?

Narrowly. Name the exact property, name what the attorney may and may not do, and put an expiry date on it. A general power of attorney that allows sale of "all my properties" is the single most common route to losing property from abroad. Revoke it in writing, register the revocation, and inform the relevant registrar and the housing scheme when it is no longer needed.

Source: Powers of Attorney Act; Registration Act 1908.

6. Someone is occupying my property. What can I do from abroad?

Occupation cases are decided on documents and possession history, so gather the record first: registered title, tax receipts, utility bills, and any tenancy paperwork. Depending on the facts the remedy is a suit for possession, a rent case, or an application under illegal-dispossession law. Overseas Pakistanis Commission offices accept complaints and can push provincial departments, but they do not replace a court.

Source: Illegal Dispossession Act 2005; Overseas Pakistanis Commission complaint procedure.

7. What tax applies when I sell?

Advance tax on the transfer of immovable property under the Income Tax Ordinance applies at rates that differ for filers and non-filers, and gain on disposal is taxed by holding period. Provinces also charge stamp duty and registration fees. Rates change in each Finance Act, so confirm the current year's rate with FBR before you sign anything.

Source: Income Tax Ordinance 2001, sections 236C and 37; annual Finance Act; FBR.

8. Do I need to be a filer to buy property?

Non-filers pay higher advance tax on transfer and, under recent rules, face restrictions on high-value purchases. Being on the Active Taxpayers List is generally cheaper and simpler for an overseas buyer. Non-resident Pakistanis can obtain an NTN and appear on the list.

Source: FBR Active Taxpayers List rules; annual Finance Act.

9. How is inheritance divided, and how do I claim my share?

Distribution follows the personal law that applies to the deceased. The practical step is a succession certificate — for most estates now issued through NADRA's succession facilitation service rather than a civil court — followed by mutation of the land record in the heirs' names. Heirs abroad can act through an attested power of attorney.

Source: Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Act 2021; NADRA succession facilitation centres.

10. Do you sell property, value it, or recommend a dealer?

No. We publish information only. We do not sell or list property, we do not verify ownership for you, we do not hold money, and we do not value property. Any price we report is a price a named publication reported on a named date.

Source: Our Editorial Policy and Disclaimer.

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