Pakistanis acquiring another citizenship ask the same three questions: will I lose my Pakistani nationality, can I still own and inherit property at home, and do I have to give anything up.

The short answers are: not if the other country is one of those Pakistan has arrangements with; yes; and only in defined areas. The detail matters, and the misinformation on this subject is considerable.

Pakistan permits dual nationality — with designated countries

Pakistan allows dual nationality with a list of designated countries, which includes most of the principal destinations for Pakistani migration. It is not universal, and it changes.

If your other citizenship is with a country on the list, you may hold both. If it is not, acquiring the other citizenship can affect your Pakistani nationality, and you should take advice before naturalising rather than after.

Because the list is amended from time to time, check the current position for your specific country rather than relying on what applied to a relative some years ago.

What dual nationality does not take away

This is where most anxiety sits, and mostly unnecessarily. As a dual national you may:

  • Own property in Pakistan, including agricultural land subject to the ordinary provincial rules
  • Inherit as an heir, on exactly the same footing as any other heir
  • Sue and be sued in the Pakistani courts, and instruct lawyers here
  • Hold bank accounts and operate businesses
  • Give a power of attorney for someone to act on your behalf here

Nothing about holding a second passport diminishes your entitlement to a share in a parent's estate. If you are being told otherwise by family members administering an estate, you are being told something untrue — see who inherits what in Pakistan.

What it does restrict

The real restrictions are narrow and mostly concern public life:

  • Elected office and certain public positions are restricted for dual nationals
  • Certain posts in the civil and armed services carry restrictions
  • Some security-sensitive roles are closed

For the overwhelming majority of people — who want to work, own property, support family and eventually retire between two countries — none of this bites.

NICOP, CNIC and POC

Documentation is where the practical difficulties actually arise.

  • CNIC — for Pakistani nationals resident in Pakistan
  • NICOP — for Pakistani nationals living abroad, including dual nationals
  • POC (Pakistan Origin Card) — for foreign nationals of Pakistani origin who no longer hold Pakistani nationality, and for certain foreign spouses

Keep your Pakistani documentation current. The most common problem we see is not a legal one but an administrative one: an expired NICOP, or a record with inconsistent details, discovered at the moment a property sale or an inheritance requires proof of identity. See what to do when your CNIC or NICOP is blocked.

Register children born abroad in good time, and make sure the details on their records match yours. Inconsistencies between a parent's and a child's record are the usual cause of later difficulty.

Renunciation

Renouncing Pakistani nationality is a formal process, not something that happens automatically on naturalising elsewhere. It has consequences — including for the ability to hold certain property and to be treated as an heir in the ordinary way — and it should not be undertaken casually or on the assumption that it is required.

Some people renounce because they believe another country demands it when it does not. Check what your other country actually requires before taking an irreversible step.

The practical advice for dual nationals

Keep your Pakistani documentation live. It is the key to everything else, and renewing it is far easier than fixing it under time pressure.

Put a power of attorney in place before you need one. The instrument should be specific to the acts required. Attestation must be done at the Pakistani mission where you live and then in Pakistan — see giving a power of attorney from abroad.

Do not leave property unattended. Property belonging to someone abroad is the most frequently occupied asset in Pakistan. If you own it, have someone with actual authority responsible for it.

Deal with inheritance promptly. Estates left undistributed while heirs are abroad are how families end up in court a generation later.

How the firm can help

We advise on Pakistani nationality and dual nationality, handle CNIC, NICOP and POC applications and corrections, register children born abroad, and challenge unlawful decisions by constitutional petition where that is warranted.

More usefully for most dual nationals, we handle what the documentation is for: property, succession, family matters and litigation in Pakistan, conducted under a power of attorney while you remain abroad. See our work for overseas Pakistanis.

If you are unsure where you stand, contact the firm — we will tell you what your position actually is, rather than what your relatives believe it to be.