Peshawar  -  After Pakistan became a member of the Hague Apostille Convention on March 9, 2023, the provision of Apostille Certificates has been initiated across the country. This development eliminates the need for a lengthy verification process, enabling individuals to fulfill international documentation requirements with ease through an Apostille Certificate.

The new system removes the necessity of visiting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for document authentication. Instead, authorized offices throughout the country, where documents are originally issued, can now provide Apostille Certificates or affix the Apostille before issuing the document. Previously, documents had to go through five different stages of verification, culminating in certification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This cumbersome process has now been streamlined into a single-step procedure.

In line with this reform, the Department of Law, Parliamentary Affairs, and Human Rights of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued directives to all departments and authorized institutions. The directives instruct adherence to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ guidelines to ensure that citizens can easily obtain Apostille Certificates.

The official correspondence also emphasizes that the implementation of the Apostille Convention is the responsibility of all authorized governmental entities. Relevant authorities have been instructed to fully cooperate with citizens to facilitate this process.