Property in Pakistan for Overseas Pakistanis in Australia

Buying, building and managing property in Pakistan from Australia

This guide is for Pakistanis living in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and regional Australia who want to buy a plot or house in Lahore, build on land they already own, rent a property out, or sell family property.

The hurdles are familiar. You are a long flight away. Documents signed in Australia need the right attestation to be accepted in Pakistan. Fraud aimed at overseas buyers is real. And when it is morning in Lahore, it is already afternoon on the east coast, so calls with offices and agents are hard to fit around work.

Houseplot's Lahore team handles the ground work for you: property search, site visits on video, document checks, transfers, construction supervision, tenants and paperwork. You stay in control of every decision and every payment.

Our services for Pakistanis in Australia

Step-by-step: buying property in Lahore from Australia

1. Set your brief. Budget, area, plot or house, and whether you will live in it, rent it out or hold it.
2. Book a consultation. We agree a shortlist and how you want updates (WhatsApp video, email, calls in your evening).
3. Shortlist and verify. We visit, film and check the papers: ownership, society or authority approval, any dues and any disputes.
4. Agree the price in writing. No money moves until the paper checks are clear.
5. Arrange your power of attorney. If you will not travel, execute a POA at the right Pakistan mission in Australia or through NADRA's online portal (see below).
6. Send money through banking channels. Use your Roshan Digital Account or a normal bank transfer, and keep every proof of remittance.
7. Pay tax and fees. Advance tax under 236K is paid at transfer; your NICOP or POC may let you pay at the filer rate (see Taxes).
8. Transfer and registration. Your attorney signs at the society or sub-registrar. We track it and collect the final documents.
9. Possession and handover. We take possession on your behalf, record the property on video and hand you a document file.

Documents you need

• NICOP or CNIC, valid, or POC if you hold Pakistan Origin Card status
• Passport (Pakistani or Australian) with a copy
• Australian visa or citizenship evidence if asked
• Recent passport-size photos with a white background
• Attorney's CNIC or NICOP copy (the person acting for you in Pakistan)
• Two witnesses' CNIC/NICOP copies and signatures for the POA
• Proof of inward remittance for every payment
• Property documents from the seller: title, transfer letters, approved plan, and any society NOC

Power of attorney from Australia

Apostille or attestation?

Pakistan acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 8 July 2022, and it entered into force for Pakistan on 9 March 2023 (HCCH). Australia is also a party, so Australian public documents can be apostilled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

In practice, the Pakistan consulates in Australia still state that Australian-issued public documents must first be attested by DFAT before the consulate counter-attests them (Consulate Sydney; Consulate Melbourne). For a property POA signed by a Pakistani national, the normal route is to sign it in front of a consular officer, or use NADRA's online POA. Confirm with your mission which route the society or registry in Lahore will accept.

Which mission covers you

• Consulate General of Pakistan, Sydney: New South Wales only
• Consulate General of Pakistan, Melbourne: Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania
• High Commission for Pakistan, Canberra: ACT, Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and any other area

Source: Pakistan Consulate Sydney.

Signing a POA at the consulate

The Sydney consulate's rules are a good guide (Sydney POA page):

• You must appear in person; POAs are not accepted by post.
• You prepare the POA yourself; the consulate does not draft it.
• Bring your original passport and CNIC/NICOP with copies, a copy of your attorney's ID, and two white-background photos (one fixed beside your signature).
• Two witnesses sign beforehand; their ID copies go with the document.
• Do not sign before your visit. You sign and give a thumb impression on every page in front of the officer.
• The page lists a standard fee of AUD 20 (urgent AUD 40), card or EFTPOS only, with standard processing in one business day.

Melbourne also requires the executant to be present and the document to be self-prepared. It offers home visits on request for senior citizens aged 65 and over who cannot attend (Melbourne).

NADRA online POA

Most Pakistani nationals can do a POA online at poa.nadra.gov.pk. You register, upload the POA and IDs, give fingerprints using the form, pay by card, attend a video interview with a consular officer and give final consent by email. Witnesses and the attorney need valid IDs (Embassy of Pakistan, Denmark). The Sydney consulate says you then print the receipt and send it with the original POA to your attorney, who gets it attested at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan (Sydney).

Using the POA in Pakistan

Your attorney presents the attested POA where the property is dealt with: the housing society or authority, or the sub-registrar for registered sale deeds. Many offices also verify the POA independently. Ask the specific office in Lahore what it needs before you sign, because wording errors are the most common reason for rejection.

Sending money for property

• Roshan Digital Account (RDA): the State Bank of Pakistan's account for non-resident Pakistanis, opened online from abroad.
• Roshan Apna Ghar: lets RDA holders buy, or get financing for, a house in Pakistan from a bank's pre-approved projects or any other property, without visiting a branch, in conventional or Shariah-compliant forms. On sale, the principal invested can be remitted abroad without special permission (SBP press release).
• Regular bank transfers: acceptable when you keep the bank's proof of inward remittance for every payment.
• Avoid hawala/hundi. Informal transfers leave no paper trail, can cause tax and legal problems, and make it hard to prove your funds later.

Taxes to know

Pakistan side. Advance tax is charged on purchase (section 236K) and on sale (section 236C), at higher rates for people not on the Active Taxpayer List. FBR says overseas Pakistanis holding a NICOP or POC who are non-resident (in Pakistan fewer than 183 days in the financial year) can pay at the filer rate even if they are non-filers. The registrar or society generates a PSID through FBR's "Overseas Pakistanis" link, the Commissioner verifies it, and you then pay at the filer rate (FBR FAQs). Rates change with each Finance Act, so check the current rate card before you pay.

Australian side. The ATO says Australian residents must declare income earned anywhere in the world, including rent from overseas property, and may have to pay Australian capital gains tax when they sell an overseas asset. If you paid tax in Pakistan, you may be able to claim a foreign income tax offset, provided you keep records (ATO). Keep purchase, cost and tax records from day one, and confirm your position with a registered tax agent.

Building or renovating from Australia

1. Design: an architect prepares plans to your brief and plot size.
2. Approvals: the plan goes to the society or authority for approval before any work starts.
3. Contractor: we compare quotes, check past work and agree a written scope, timeline and payment schedule.
4. Staged payments: you pay against completed stages (foundation, grey structure, finishing), never large sums in advance.
5. Updates: weekly photos and video, plus live walk-throughs at key stages, timed for your evening.
6. Quality checks: inspections of materials, steel, concrete and finishing before each payment is released.

Renting out and property management

• Tenant finding and screening: ID checks, employment and reference checks.
• Rent agreement: written, under the Punjab Rented Premises Act 2009, which requires a tenancy agreement presented to the Rent Registrar (Express Tribune).
• Police registration of tenants: required in Punjab under the Punjab Information of Temporary Residents Act 2015, online or at a police station or Khidmat Markaz (Punjab Police). Lahore Police lists it as free and done in about 15–20 minutes (Lahore Police).
• Rent collection: into your Pakistani account, with monthly confirmation.
• Maintenance and inspections: repairs, periodic visits, video reports.
• Utility bills and property tax: paid on time and logged.
• Statements: monthly or quarterly, useful for your ATO records.

Selling and sending the money back

We value the property, list it with verified agents, handle viewings and run the transfer through your attorney. Sale proceeds go into your Pakistani bank account. For property bought through Roshan Apna Ghar, SBP says the principal invested can be remitted abroad without special permission. For other routes, ask your bank what proof of original inward remittance it needs before sending money back to Australia.

Avoiding fraud from abroad

• A relative, friend or dealer says "just send the money, I'll handle it."
• You only see photos, never a live video with the seller's papers in frame.
• The society or scheme is not approved, or its approval cannot be shown.
• The seller's ID does not match the title documents.
• Pressure to pay quickly or in cash, or to use hawala.
• A general POA that lets someone sell your property, not just buy for you.
• A caretaker or tenant who stops sharing updates.

Keep your POA as narrow as possible, cancel it in writing when the job is done, and never let one person control both the money and the papers.

Disputes, inheritance and help

• Overseas Pakistanis Commission (OPC) Punjab: complaints can be filed on the OPC portal (opc.punjab.gov.pk) or through the 24/7 helpline +92 42 111 672 672, and are referred to the relevant department or District Overseas Pakistanis Committee (District Overseas Commission, Sheikhupura). OPC has helped recover properties from illegal occupation, including a tenant-occupied house in Multan and properties in Gujranwala (Punjab Govt; Punjab Govt).
• Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF): its complaint cell handles land disputes, unlawful occupation and fraud; contact is via the OPF portal, +92 51 111 040 040 (24/7), or a Pakistan mission (OPF). In January 2025, NAB and OPF signed an MoU to handle complaints including housing-scheme fraud (APP).
• Succession certificates (NADRA): NADRA issues succession certificates and letters of administration, with biometric verification of heirs at NADRA offices or Pakistani missions, a public notice and a 14-day objection period (APP, 2021). Ask your mission whether it offers this verification.
• Consulate help: your mission can attest affidavits, including written revocation of a POA.

Best time to talk

Pakistan is on UTC+5 and does not use daylight saving time (zeitverschiebung). Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra are usually 5 hours ahead of Pakistan, and 6 hours ahead while east-coast daylight saving is on. Perth is 3 hours ahead, Adelaide 4.5 hours, and Brisbane 5 hours with no daylight saving (SIM Corner).

So a 7pm call in Sydney is early afternoon in Lahore, when offices are open. We book consultations in your evenings and on weekends.

FAQs

Can I buy property in Lahore without travelling from Australia? Yes. Most buyers use a power of attorney signed at the Sydney or Melbourne consulate or the Canberra High Commission, or through NADRA's online POA, and pay through banking channels.

Which Pakistan mission do I use in Queensland or WA? The High Commission in Canberra covers the ACT, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Can I post my POA to the consulate? No. Sydney and Melbourne both say POAs are not accepted by post; you must attend in person, unless you use the NADRA online route.

Do I pay higher tax in Pakistan as a non-filer living in Australia? Not necessarily. FBR allows NICOP/POC holders who are non-resident to pay 236K and 236C at the filer rate, subject to its PSID process.

Do I declare Pakistani rent to the ATO? The ATO says Australian residents declare worldwide income, including overseas rent. Speak to a registered tax agent.

Can I use my Australian passport? The Sydney consulate accepts a Pakistani or Australian passport, together with your CNIC or NICOP.

Can my parents live in the house while you manage it? Yes. We can handle maintenance, bills and inspections even when family, not tenants, occupy it.

What if my tenant refuses to leave? Start with the Rent Tribunal under the Punjab Rented Premises Act through a lawyer, and file a complaint with OPC Punjab if you are an overseas owner.

This page is general information; confirm legal and tax steps with the relevant authority or a qualified adviser before you act.

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