The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MoFA) newly introduced online attestation platform is attracting criticism because dozens of nations, among them popular Pakistani destinations like the UAE, Germany and Austria, are absent from the country selection menu.

MoFA rolled out its Digital Attestation System on October 12, 2026 at its Islamabad headquarters and liaison offices in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Gujrat. A ministry circular dated October 14 states that applicants may upload documents for general attestation or apostille via the portal, pay the required fee and receive an e-Certificate by email without visiting a MoFA office, except in rare cases.

Users, however, say the destination country cannot be chosen during application, even though the same nation appears on the portal's homepage list.

Users Left Guessing

A Facebook thread shows a participant asking why the UAE, Germany and Austria are missing from both the general attestation and apostille menus. Replies indicate no one knows the reason and suggest applicants may have to go to a MoFA office in person, which defeats the purpose of the new system.

Hague Apostille Members Missing From the Portal

The site currently lists 114 destinations, nearly all parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) records 130 contracting parties.

The following apostille members are not shown:

  • Algeria
  • Armenia
  • Austria
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Liechtenstein
  • Netherlands
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • Senegal
  • Vietnam

Algeria and Vietnam joined the convention recently, with it taking effect on July 9 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Germany, Austria, Greece and the Netherlands formally objected to Pakistan's accession, according to HCCH. An objection means the apostille system does not apply between that country and Pakistan, so documents for them require regular attestation. Users report that Germany and Austria are also missing from the general attestation list.

The Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland and Poland also objected, yet they appear on the portal.

Major Non-Hague Countries Also Missing

States not party to the Hague Apostille Convention need general attestation. Several key destinations for Pakistani workers, students and families fall into this group, and none are present on the portal:

UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Malaysia, Thailand, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Kenya.

Thailand has become a convention member, but its membership will only start on February 28, 2027.

List Not Even in Alphabetical Order

The country list is mostly alphabetical from Albania to Venezuela, but Bangladesh, Czech Republic, Canada, Finland, Denmark and Poland are placed at the end, breaking the order.

The ministry previously promised the online service would let citizens attest documents from home. For now, ProPakistani's guide to applying for online MoFA attestation only covers supported countries.

No Clarity on Relatives Verifying Documents

People also complain that the portal does not explain whether a family member, such as a sibling, spouse, parent or child, can verify a relative's documents through the system.