Getting your study-abroad papers ready in Pakistan

In short: 8 offices in Pakistan verify, attest or issue the papers a student visa asks for. For each: what it does, the official portal, the steps, the fee as its official page prints it and its offices, read on 16 October 2026.

IBCC (Inter Boards Coordination Commission)

IBCC attests your Matric and Intermediate papers and gives equivalence certificates for O/A level and other foreign school papers.

Online · Official portal

Steps

  1. Make an account on the IBCC attestation portal (attest.ibcc.edu.pk) and log in. For O/A level or other foreign school papers, use the equivalence portal (equivalence.ibcc.edu.pk) instead.
  2. Fill in your personal and education details and book either a walk-in (morning) appointment or a courier appointment.
  3. Pay the fee through 1Bill, or download the challan and pay at any UBL branch.
  4. Walk-in: go to the IBCC office on your appointment date with the application form, verification from your Board, the payment receipt, your original papers plus photocopies, and a copy of your CNIC. Staff tell you if you can collect the papers the same day or the next day.
  5. Courier: send the application form, payment receipt, original papers plus photocopies and a CNIC copy to IBCC. IBCC attests them and couriers them back to your address.
  6. Express service (Islamabad and Lahore offices only): book an evening express appointment and visit the office with the same papers. The IBCC FAQ says express papers are returned within an hour after submission.
  7. If you edit your application after downloading the form, download it again and bring the latest version.

Appointment: Book online on attest.ibcc.edu.pk: choose a morning (walk-in), courier, or evening express appointment and pick a date and time.

Fee, as the official page prints it: Original Certificate/DMC Fee: PKR 1200 each (official source, checked 16 October 2026)

Fee, as the official page prints it: The equivalence fee for foreign qualifications is Rs. 6000 each, while for local qualifications, it is Rs. 4000 each. Urgent equivalence certificate for O/A Levels costs Rs. 12000 each. (official source, checked 16 October 2026)

Offices

Sources: ibcc.edu.pk/contact-us/, ibcc.edu.pk/attestation-application-process/, ibcc.edu.pk/equivalence-application-process/, checked 16 October 2026.

HEC (Higher Education Commission) degree attestation

HEC attests university papers: degree, transcript, provisional certificate and HEC equivalence letter.

Online · Official portal

Steps

  1. Sign up or log in on the HEC eServices portal (eservices.hec.gov.pk) and choose 'Degree Attestation' from the menu.
  2. Enter your personal details, degree details and which papers you want attested (degree, transcript, provisional certificate or HEC equivalence letter).
  3. Upload your CNIC (front and back) and the papers, then read and accept the undertaking.
  4. Pay the fee through 1-Link (1-Bill), then click 'Verify Payment'. Your application is then submitted.
  5. HEC checks your details (including with NADRA). If something is missing, it comes back to you as a task to fix and resubmit.
  6. Your university checks your record against its own record.
  7. After a final HEC review you get an SMS and email, and you download the e-Attestation Certificate from your account.

Appointment: No appointment is needed for normal cases. HEC says the online system removes the need to visit HEC offices or submit original papers in hard copy.

Fee, as the official page prints it: The attestation fee is Rs. 3,000 per document (degree, transcript, provisional certificate, or HEC equivalence letter). (official source, checked 16 October 2026)

Offices

Sources: www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/students/DAS/Pages/Degree-At, www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/students/DAS/Pages/Contact-U, onlinehelp.hec.gov.pk/, checked 16 October 2026.

Matric and Intermediate board verification

Your own Board (the one that gave your Matric/Inter result) verifies or attests your result card and certificate; IBCC usually asks for this Board verification before it attests.

Online · Official portal

Steps

  1. Find which Board issued your Matric and Intermediate papers (for example BISE Lahore or the Federal Board, FBISE). Only that Board can verify them.
  2. Open that Board's own website and look for its online services: Verification and Attestation.
  3. BISE Lahore: use the E-Services portal for Attestation (eportal.biselahore.com/eservices/attestation) or Verification (eportal.biselahore.com/eservices/verification). Fee challans are printed from challan.biselahore.com.
  4. Federal Board (FBISE): use the Public Facilitation Portal (applications.fbise.edu.pk) and choose 'Verification of Certificates' or 'Verification of Result Card'.
  5. Follow the steps on the portal, pay the fee it shows, and keep the receipt.
  6. Take the Board-verified papers with you to IBCC for attestation.

Offices

Sources: www.biselahore.com/, www.biselahore.com/contact, eportal.biselahore.com/eservices/verification, checked 16 October 2026.

MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) attestation and apostille

MOFA puts an apostille (or ordinary attestation) on Pakistani papers, such as degrees, school certificates and FRC, so other countries accept them.

Online · Official portal

Steps

  1. First get your education papers attested by HEC (degree) or IBCC (Matric/Inter), as needed.
  2. Make an account on apostille.mofa.gov.pk and fill in your details.
  3. Upload both sides of your CNIC.
  4. Create a new application, fill in all details and attach the papers you want apostilled.
  5. Check everything carefully and submit.
  6. Wait for the approval email. MOFA may ask for more papers by email.
  7. You receive a challan by email. Pay it online, through easypaisa, or through a bank account.
  8. Go to the office you selected (Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta or Gujrat) on your given date and time. MOFA says from 27 July 2026 apostille requests without prior online registration are not accepted.

Appointment: Through the online apostille portal: after approval you get a date, time and office. Walk-in apostille is only for legal documents. Approved courier companies also take documents.

Fee, as the official page prints it: 1. Personal and Educational Documents - Rs. 3,000/- per document (official source, checked 16 October 2026)

Fee, as the official page prints it: No fee is charged for any type of attestation either by the Ministry or its Camp Offices. Only prescribed value revenue stamps are required to be pasted on the documents submitted for attestation. (official source, checked 16 October 2026)

Offices

Sources: mofa.gov.pk/tabs/consular-service-attestation-of-documents, apostille.mofa.gov.pk/, mofa.gov.pk/news/apostille-collection-points-in-gujrat-and-q, checked 16 October 2026.

MOFA attestation (for countries that do not accept the apostille)

For a destination that does not take the apostille (Germany, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland and Czechia object to it; the UAE is not in the apostille convention), MOFA attests your papers after HEC or IBCC, and then that country's embassy legalises them.

Online · Official portal

Steps

  1. Get the papers attested by HEC (degrees) or IBCC (school certificates) first.
  2. Sign in on the official MOFA Attestation Portal and follow its steps for those papers.
  3. After MOFA, take the papers to the embassy of your destination for its legalisation, as its checklist says.

Sources: portal-attestation.mofa.gov.pk/login, mofa.gov.pk/tabs/consular-service-attestation-of-documents, checked 16 October 2026.

NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority)

NADRA issues the Family Registration Certificate (FRC), CNIC and the child registration certificate (CRC, often called B-form), which visa offices often ask for.

Online · Official portal

Steps

  1. Every family member who will appear on the FRC should already be registered with NADRA and have a 13-digit ID number (some people who are not registered can still be added).
  2. Keep the applicant's 13-digit ID number ready (CRC, Juvenile Card, CNIC, NICOP or POC).
  3. Apply either at a NADRA Registration Centre (NRC) or through the PakID mobile app. NADRA says you can get your CNIC, FRC or other ID documents 'through NADRA Centres or the PakID Mobile App'.
  4. Pay the fee shown on NADRA's fee page.
  5. Collect or download the FRC when it is ready.

Fee, as the official page prints it: FRC (Alpha / Beta / Gama family): Normal -, Urgent -, Executive PKR 1000/- (01 days). FRC (Both): Normal -, Urgent -, Executive PKR 2000/- (official source, checked 16 October 2026)

Fee, as the official page prints it: CRC (All categories): Normal PKR 50/- (7 days), Executive PKR 500/- (01 days). New CNIC: Normal 0/-, Urgent 1,150/-, Executive 2,150/- (official source, checked 16 October 2026)

Sources: www.nadra.gov.pk/identityDocument/certificates/frc, www.nadra.gov.pk/feeStructure, www.nadra.gov.pk/aboutPakID, checked 16 October 2026.

Police character certificate (by province)

The police of your province give a police character (clearance) certificate that shows you have no criminal record.

Official portal

Steps

  1. Punjab: go to any Police Khidmat Markaz (PKM) in Punjab; you do not need to go to the district on your CNIC. Take your original CNIC or B-Form and a photocopy, your original passport and a copy, and an affidavit. Pay at the PKM counter. PKM says it takes 3 working days and is delivered by courier. Track it on pkm.punjab.gov.pk.
  2. Islamabad (ICT): visit a Police Khidmat Markaz with your original CNIC/B-Form and passport, an affidavit (only if your CNIC does not show an Islamabad address) and proof that you live in Islamabad (rent agreement, allotment letter or hostel letter). ICT Police says 3 working days.
  3. Sindh: apply online on the Sindh Police 'Police Record Verification System' (prvs.sindhpolice.gov.pk) using 'Submit New Application', then track it with your CNIC and Case ID.
  4. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: make a 10-point affidavit on stamp paper attested by an Oath Commissioner; attach copies of your CNIC, passport and two photos; get it verified by your beat officer, Moharrar, SHO and circle DSP; apply in the district on your CNIC addresses; then collect the certificate in person at the PAL office after signing and giving fingerprints.
  5. Balochistan: use the Police Mobile Khidmat Markaz vans in Quetta (Balochistan Police says it will reach other districts later), or contact Balochistan Police.

Appointment: Not needed for Punjab or Islamabad PKM (walk in). Sindh is online first.

Fee, as the official page prints it: Rs. 500. The fee can be deposited on one of the counters of PKM (official source, checked 16 October 2026)

Fee, as the official page prints it: Rs. 1000 Application Fee Payable at Counter (3 Working Days Standard Processing) (official source, checked 16 October 2026)

Offices

Sources: pkm.punjab.gov.pk/public/home/services?id=a, islamabadpolice.gov.pk/srv-cc.php, www.sindhpolice.gov.pk/online-public-services, checked 16 October 2026.

UK-approved TB test clinics in Pakistan

These clinics do the tuberculosis (TB) chest test that UK visa applicants from Pakistan need when staying 6 months or more; only these clinics are accepted by the UK Home Office.

In person · Official portal

Steps

  1. Check on gov.uk/tb-test-visa that you need a TB test (needed if you come to the UK for 6 months or more and have lived in Pakistan).
  2. Choose one clinic from the official UK Home Office list below.
  3. Book by phone or email with that clinic (IOM clinics use uktbappointments@iom.int).
  4. Take your passport to the test and keep the TB certificate for your visa application.

Appointment: Book directly with the clinic by phone or email as listed on gov.uk.

Offices

Sources: www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-test-for-a-u, www.gov.uk/tb-test-visa, checked 16 October 2026.

Where to apply for a student visa from Pakistan

United Kingdom

VFS Global (for UK Visas and Immigration, UKVI) · Official booking

  1. Get your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) number from your UK university.
  2. Apply and pay for the Student visa online on gov.uk (gov.uk/student-visa).
  3. After paying, follow the link to VFS Global, sign in on visa.vfsglobal.com/pak/en/gbr/ and book an appointment at the centre you want.
  4. Go to the centre on your date with your passport and papers to give fingerprints and a photo.
  5. Priority or Super Priority services, if you want them, are bought online only.

United Kingdom student visa document checklist

United States

U.S. Embassy Islamabad and U.S. Consulate General Karachi (scheduling by CGI through USTravelDocs) · Official booking

  1. Get your Form I-20 from your U.S. university (F-1 student visa).
  2. Fill in the DS-160 online visa form.
  3. On the USTravelDocs website, pay the visa application (MRV) fee. The fee receipt is valid for 365 days.
  4. Book an interview at the Embassy in Islamabad or the Consulate in Karachi. Both give priority to F and J student visas.
  5. Arrive 15 minutes before your interview with your passport, I-20 and supporting papers. Most applicants in Pakistan must attend an in-person interview.

United States student visa document checklist

Canada

VFS Global (Canada Visa Application Centres for IRCC) · Official booking

  1. Get your letter of acceptance (and any province letter needed) from your Canadian college or university.
  2. Apply for the study permit online with IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) and pay the fees, including biometrics.
  3. When you get the biometric instruction letter, book a VFS appointment on visa.vfsglobal.com/pak/en/can/ ('Book Now').
  4. Go to the centre on your date with your passport and the letter to give fingerprints and a photo.

Canada student visa document checklist

Australia

VFS Global (Australian Biometric Collection Centres); the visa itself is applied for online · Official booking

  1. Get your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from your Australian university.
  2. Apply for the Student visa (subclass 500) online through ImmiAccount on the Australian Department of Home Affairs website.
  3. If you are asked to give biometrics, book an appointment on visa.vfsglobal.com/pak/en/aus/.
  4. Go to the centre on your date with your passport and the biometrics request letter. VFS charges a biometric collection service fee, paid in cash in PKR at the centre.

Australia student visa document checklist

Germany

German Embassy Islamabad and German Consulate General Karachi (online through the Federal Foreign Office Consular Services Portal; no outside operator) · Official booking

  1. Get your university admission (and blocked account or scholarship proof).
  2. Apply on the Consular Services Portal (digital.diplo.de/studium): answer the questionnaire and upload your papers. Past degree certificates, transcripts and proof of tuition payment (if any) must be uploaded from the start.
  3. A visa officer checks your file. You then get either an appointment notice or a request for more papers. Files are handled in the order they arrive.
  4. Applicants from Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, KP, AJK and Punjab go to the Embassy in Islamabad. Applicants from Sindh and Balochistan go to the Consulate General in Karachi.
  5. Go to the mission on your appointment date with your original papers.

Germany student visa document checklist

Ireland

VFS Global (Ireland Visa Application Centres); the visa form is filled online with the Irish Immigration Service · Official booking

  1. Get your offer letter and proof of fees paid from your Irish college.
  2. Fill in the visa application online (Irish Immigration Service). Print, sign and date the summary form it gives you.
  3. The summary form tells you where to hand in your papers. Book an appointment on visa.vfsglobal.com/pak/en/irl/ ('Book now').
  4. Go to the centre on your date with your passport, summary form, photos, fee proof and supporting papers.

Ireland student visa document checklist

Italy

BLS-Intiana ('The Italy Visa Application Centre'), for the Embassy of Italy Islamabad and the Consulate General of Italy Karachi · Official booking

  1. Get your admission from the Italian university (and pre-enrolment on Universitaly if your university asks for it).
  2. Book an appointment only on the official booking site (appointment.theitalyvisa.com, linked from intianaitalyvisa.com). The Embassy says it and BLS never ask for money to book appointments and have no WhatsApp number for this.
  3. Apply at the centre for where you permanently live: Punjab, KP and northern areas use Islamabad or Lahore; Sindh and Balochistan use Karachi or Quetta. Multan and Faisalabad centres are permanently closed.
  4. Download the latest checklist for a long-term Study visa from intianaitalyvisa.com and bring every paper on it.

Italy student visa document checklist

Netherlands

Your Dutch university applies to the IND (Dutch immigration service) for you; the MVV entry visa sticker is then collected at the Netherlands Embassy Islamabad (VFS Global centres are for short-stay Schengen visas) · Official booking

  1. Your Dutch university (as your sponsor) applies to the IND for your MVV and residence permit. Give the university the papers it asks for.
  2. Wait for the IND's positive decision letter. You can only apply for the MVV sticker in Pakistan if that letter says so.
  3. Email the Embassy in Islamabad at isl-ca@minbuza.nl to make an appointment for the MVV sticker.
  4. Go to the Embassy on your appointment date with your passport and the IND letter.

Netherlands student visa document checklist

New Zealand

Immigration New Zealand (online application); VFS Global Karachi is the only New Zealand Visa Application Centre in Pakistan · Official booking

  1. Get your offer of place from your New Zealand education provider.
  2. Apply for the student visa online with Immigration New Zealand (immigration.govt.nz). Paper applications are no longer accepted.
  3. If Immigration New Zealand asks you to send your passport or attend the centre, book on visa.vfsglobal.com/pak/en/nzl/ ('Book an appointment').
  4. The New Zealand mission does not answer visa questions; use the Immigration New Zealand contact centre.

New Zealand student visa document checklist

Turkey (Türkiye)

Anatolia Travel Services (only authorised visa application centre for Türkiye's Embassy and Consulates in Pakistan) · Official booking

  1. Get your acceptance letter from the Turkish university.
  2. Prepare the papers on the Embassy's visa checklist.
  3. Go in person to an Anatolia Travel Services office with all papers. Anatolia gives the interview form, health insurance and visa form during submission.
  4. Pay only against a computer-generated receipt at an Anatolia office. Do not buy non-refundable tickets until the visa is issued.

Turkey (Türkiye) student visa document checklist

China

Chinese Visa Application Service Center (run by Gerry's) for the Chinese Embassy and Consulates · Official booking

  1. Get your admission notice and JW201 or JW202 form from the Chinese university.
  2. Fill in the visa application online on bio.visaforchina.cn and print it.
  3. Go to the centre for where you live: Islamabad (Islamabad, Rawalpindi, KP, Gilgit-Baltistan), Lahore (Punjab except Rawalpindi), Karachi (Sindh and Balochistan).
  4. Submit in person (passports are not accepted by mail). X1 (long study) applicants must come in person for an interview.

China student visa document checklist

Related

ForiForeign prepares and guides; the offices and the visa authorities decide. Fees and timings change: open the official source before you go.

ForiForeign.com · admin@foriforeign.com · WhatsApp +92 310 5048760 · Information drawn from official sources shown on each rule; not legal advice.

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