Good news for expats

Pakistan is joining the Apostille Convention which will put an end to the costly and time-consuming process of running around to get several types of official documents attested before they can be used abroad. Islamabad has submitted its instrument of accession to the Hague Conference on Private International Law and is now awaiting approval from the intergovernmental organisation, which is expected to only be a formality. Signatories to the convention allow all public documents — including marriage, birth and death certificates and most education documents — that have been attested in line with the requirements of the treaty to be used in any of the other 122-and-counting signatory states.

In India, which has a similar legal system, submission and receipt of documents for attestation can take as little as a few minutes for certain documents that can be submitted to the Ministry of External Affairs online, and many other documents can be processed either directly or through approved agents within a few days. This eliminates the running from pillar to post in local government offices, federal offices, and then foreign missions to get documents legalised — the formal term for attestation.

Overseas Pakistanis and others with ties to Pakistan who live abroad, or those intending to work or study in several member countries, most notably Saudi Arabia, the EU, UK, US and Canada, will be the main beneficiaries, since the drawn-out process will still be in place for countries that are not Apostille members, including the UAE and Qatar. Foreigners would similarly benefit by not having to run around at their local and federal government offices and traveling to Pakistani embassies and consulates, which can be especially time-consuming in larger countries or those where Pakistan has a limited diplomatic presence. Remember we only have embassies in about 87 countries, some of which could be on the chopping block as a cost-cutting measure.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2022.

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