Before you start

Passport with a valid Pakistani visa, or CNIC/NICOP/POC
Proof of profession and source of income or funds — employment letter, salary slip or statements
A Karachi address
A National Tax Number, requested by some banks and needed for some products

Step-by-step

1
Decide resident or non-resident before you walk into a branch
The State Bank's Foreign Exchange Manual treats non-resident rupee accounts as a distinct category with their own rules. Which one you open determines the documentation, the permitted transactions and how freely funds move out. Getting this wrong at the counter is tedious to unwind later.
In personWho: YouBefore the branch visit
2
If you are of Pakistani origin, look at the Roshan Digital Account first
The State Bank's RDA framework lets non-resident Pakistanis, including non-resident POC holders, open accounts entirely remotely in rupees or major foreign currencies. Funds in an RDA are fully repatriable without prior State Bank approval. There is no equivalent facility for foreign nationals with no Pakistani connection.
OnlineWho: You
3
Take the full document set to the branch
Expect to produce passport and visa, an employment letter or other evidence of your source of income, and a local address. Pakistani banks apply know-your-customer requirements seriously and a partial file means a second visit. Ask the branch for their own checklist in advance.
In personWho: YouWeek 1–2
4
Register for an NTN even if you think you won't need it
Individuals in Pakistan use their CNIC as their tax number; a foreign national registers separately through the FBR's IRIS portal. Banks ask for it, and the filer/non-filer distinction that follows from it changes your withholding on ordinary transactions.
OnlineWho: You
5
Set up a foreign-currency account if you are paid partly from abroad
Foreign currency accounts are available and are the sensible home for money you may want to move out. Keep the inward remittance documentation from day one — it is what supports repatriation later.
In personWho: You
6
Document every inward remittance
Pakistan operates exchange controls, and the practical right to send money out later rests on paperwork created when it came in. Keep the bank's inward remittance advice for anything substantial. This is the single most common regret among people leaving Pakistan with money to move.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with valid visa, or CNIC/NICOP/POC
Employment letter, salary slip or evidence of source of funds
Proof of Karachi address
National Tax Number, where required
Inward remittance advices, kept for the duration

Things most newcomers don’t know

Whether the account is resident or non-resident decides how freely money leaves the country.

The State Bank's Foreign Exchange Manual sets out non-resident rupee accounts as a separate regime, and non-residency for this purpose follows the Income Tax Ordinance definition rather than your visa. Pakistan operates genuine exchange controls: repatriation is a permission question, not an automatic right. Opening the wrong account type because it was easier at the counter is a decision you meet again when you try to move funds out.

Source: State Bank of Pakistan

The Roshan Digital Account is fully repatriable, and it is open to POC holders.

The State Bank's RDA framework was built for non-resident Pakistanis and explicitly includes non-resident Pakistan Origin Card holders. Accounts open remotely, in rupees or major foreign currencies, and funds are transferable abroad without prior State Bank approval. That combination — remote opening and unrestricted repatriation — does not exist for ordinary foreign nationals, and it is another reason to establish your POC eligibility early.

Source: State Bank of Pakistan

Keep every inward remittance advice, from the first transfer.

In an exchange-controlled economy the documentation of money entering is the evidence supporting money leaving. Banks ask for it years later. People who transferred savings in casually, without asking for or filing the advice, find the repatriation conversation much harder than it needed to be. It costs nothing to request the paperwork at the time and it is close to impossible to reconstruct.

Source: State Bank of Pakistan

The NTN is not just a tax formality — it is what puts you on the filer side of the line.

Registering for a National Tax Number through the FBR's IRIS portal is the first step, but it is filing a return by the due date that puts you on the Active Taxpayers List. Non-filers pay materially higher withholding on property transactions, vehicle registration, dividends and certain banking activity. The list is rebuilt weekly, so status is not permanent. For anyone buying a car or property here the gap is large enough to justify the paperwork on its own.

Source: Federal Board of Revenue

Common mistakes to avoid

Opening whichever account type the branch found easiest, without checking resident versus non-resident.
Not asking for and filing inward remittance advices.
Overlooking the Roshan Digital Account when you hold or could hold a POC.
Assuming an NTN alone makes you a filer — it does not, filing does.
Leaving Pakistan without closing accounts and settling tax.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.