Degree Attestation Process in Pakistan for Employment Visa

Hello everyone. In this post, you will find the process of getting your degree attested in Karachi (Pakistan), in accordance with the demand of foreign employers (specially the employers in GULF countries). I've been through to this process, so I'll describe the whole scenario which I went through. Since I am from Karachi, hence the process I'll describe includes the relevant government offices (like HEC, MoFA) in Karachi
The attestation of Degree consists of 3 steps.

1. Attestation from HEC (Higher Education Commission)
2. Attestation from MoFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
3. Attestation from Embassy of relevant GULF Country

1. Attestation from HEC (Higher Education Commission)

Timing details

Tokens for attestation will be issued between 8:00 am to 9:00 am (Sharp) on all working days (Monday to Friday). Applicants with tokens are requested to visit HEC office from 8.00 am to 11.00 am. After 11.00 am no applicant would be entertained. People arrive at the office early in the morning, so you must reach earlier to get get your work done earlier. RC Karachi will return attested documents in one week.

Fee Details

Fee is submitted in cash at HEC Karachi office Rs.800/- (each original document) Rs.500/-(each photocopy) There is no urgent fee or any other fee.

Process for Attestation

Printout of online application form	·         Please select “Karachi” before print
i.  Copy of Computerized National Identity Card
ii.  Original Certificate of Matriculation	·Mark Sheets are only accepted if verified from Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) ·For candidates having O&A Level Certificates, equivalence from IBCC is mandatory
iii.  Original Certificate of Intermediate
iv. Original transcripts/detail mark certificates (DMCs) showing date of admission and completion of program of Bachelors, Masters and M.Phil.	· Equivalence letter from HEC, in case of degree from    abroad or Deeni Asnaad. ·In case a degree has not been issued, attach a verification letter from Controller of Examinations of the concerned university/institute for attestation of Transcript/Detailed  Marks Certificates issued during last three years
v.  Set of photocopies of all above mentioned documents.

Note:

·         Name of the Applicant must be same throughout his/her educational testimonials such as Matriculation, Intermediate, Bachelors and Masters onwards to PhD Degrees/Transcripts as well as on Computerized National Identity Card/ Passport; otherwise they would not be attested by HEC.

·        The Applicant’s Father Name must match on the applicant’s CNIC, Matriculation, Intermediate, Bachelors and Masters onwards to PhD Degrees/ Transcripts; otherwise they would not be attested by HEC.

·         Date of Birth of the applicant must match on the Applicant’s CNIC/Passport and Matriculation Certificate; otherwise they would not be attested by HEC.

·        Both Degrees/ Transcripts issued on the same date, or overlapping semesters between an Undergraduate Degree and a Graduate Degree will not be recognized/ attested by HEC.

More Details alongwith contact and address can be found here: HEC Website: www.hec.gov.pk/DAS

2. Attestation from MoFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Once you get your degree verified from HEC, now you have to attest your degree from Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It's actually verification of verification, means, MoFA verifies that whether the verification stamp of HEC is original or not (How amazing out country is, isn't it?)

In Karachi, the office is situated adjacent to FTC (Finance & Trade Center) main Shahrah-e-Faisal. They usually attest all original & photocopies of documents that are required for employment & education, most common of them are;

1-Birth Certificate

2-Marriage Registration Certificate & Nikah Nama

3-Diploma/HSC certificates

4-Degrees

In order to get your degree attested, you just have to buy a postage stamp worth Rs. 25 from the window which you'll find on front of you as soon as you enter the premises. You just have to paste that stamp on the back of your beautiful degree and you have to go inside the building (the entrance will be on your right). You'll most probably find a queue along with a window on the left corner. You have to submit your degree along with 'a copy of your CNIC'. The officer on the other side of the window may ask you the reason for attestation of degree. He'll eventually hand over a receipt to you, which you have to provide next day to get your degree back 'attested from MoFA'. (Earlier they give the attested degrees back on the same day, but now they give it back on the next day. Try to avoid the agents wandering outside the MoFA building. The procedure is simple, cheap and easy, so you don't need any paid guidance to get it done)

More details about Degree and other legal documents attestation from MoFA can be found on their site: http://www.mofa.gov.pk

     3. Attestation from Embassy of relevant GULF Country

The final step is to attest your degree from the embassy of the relevant GULF country (of which you are planning to go). There are two steps, through which you can get your degree verified.

i). Get it verified through the 3rd party authorized companies. The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Islamabad has authorized the following companies for the nationwide collection and delivery of the documents to be attested. Furthermore, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates does not accept the documents directly from the applicants.

            . HS&J Enterprises Islamabad, (051-8448808/9)   

            · SASHA International, Islamabad (051-2204469, 2204686)

            · UPS/ PPS ( UAN: 111-669-877)

            · Gerry's Group, Karachi (0900 07860)

The fees for this process is $45 (approx Rs. 4600). The process might take 10-12 days. You can get more details on UAE Embassy Website here. More details along with fee for different documents can be found on Gerry's website here

ii) Get you degree verified from any authorized typing centre in UAE (or other GULF country). Since in UAE, the government has their authorized Typing Centres which will attest your degree. It'll cost more or less the same as attesting from Pakistan, but it might be a bit hassle free if you are not in a rush.

So, this is what I experienced during the degree attestation process. If you think that some thing  must be added or modified on this article, then kindly leave your valuable feedback in comments.

Thank you and best of luck! :)