Buying property as an overseas Pakistani: Roshan Apna Ghar and what to check

Yes. Overseas Pakistani property buyers can purchase a plot, house or flat in Pakistan from abroad, paying from a Roshan Digital Account (RDA) with your own money or a Roshan Apna Ghar loan. In October 2026 Meezan, HBL and Bank AL Habib price that loan at 1-year KIBOR + 1.5%, or KIBOR alone if you pledge your RDA savings. As a non-resident NICOP or POC holder you pay 1.25% tax on purchase in 2026-27, not the non-filer rate.

NICOP is the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis and POC the Pakistan Origin Card. KIBOR is the Karachi Interbank Offered Rate that banks add their margin to.

Can overseas Pakistanis buy property in Pakistan?

Yes. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) launched Roshan Apna Ghar on 27 August 2021 for non-resident Pakistanis and POC holders. It lets you buy property, or build or renovate a house, digitally and remotely.

There are two routes:

• Your own money. You pick the property, upload copies of the title documents and nominate someone in Pakistan to handle the sale and transfer. The bank values the property, screens the seller and pays the seller directly.
• Bank financing. You pick a property yourself or from the bank’s pre-approved project list. Choosing a pre-approved project makes approval faster, SBP says.

Banks need an RDA in your name. Meezan and HBL ask for a valid NICOP for financing and accept a POC for the lien-based version. For opening the account itself, see investing through a Roshan Digital Account.

What is the Roshan Apna Ghar interest rate?

There are two kinds of loan. A lien-based loan is secured on your RDA deposits or Naya Pakistan Certificates, so the bank takes no mortgage on the property. A non-lien loan is a normal mortgage.

All three banks also offer a rate fixed for 5 years: the 5-year PKRV (the revaluation rate for 5-year government bonds) plus 1.5%, or PKRV alone with a lien. HBL’s page shows KIBOR alone in some tables and KIBOR + 1.5% in others; ask which applies to you.

For regular home loans and the banks’ standard rates, see home loans in Pakistan.

How much will the bank finance?

SBP’s framework sets the limits:

• Non-lien: up to 85% of the property’s value to buy or build, 30% to renovate.
• Lien-based: up to 99% to buy or build, 40% to renovate, because your deposits back the loan.

HBL’s own FAQ says 85% and 30% for both versions, which conflicts with its product table and with SBP. We follow SBP.

Property insurance up to the loan amount is free under the scheme. Meezan and HBL make life takaful optional; Bank AL Habib pays for property and life insurance itself. For your own cover, see life insurance in Pakistan.

Who is eligible for Roshan Apna Ghar?

HBL allows only one Roshan Apna Ghar loan per customer. Bank AL Habib says approval takes at most 30 working days once your documents and checks are complete. It asks for your NICOP, salary slips or business proof, 12 months of bank statements, your visa or residence permit and a credit bureau report.

In October 2026, first-time buyers can also use the government’s Apna Ghar programme through Bank AL Habib: up to Rs 1 crore at 5% for the first 10 years, open to NICOP and POC holders. See government housing finance schemes.

Do I need to come to Pakistan?

Often not. SBP’s page says a single overseas owner buying with own funds or a lien-based loan needs no physical presence, even for the sale or transfer deed.

A non-lien loan is different. The bank needs a mortgage on the property, so you must either be present or give a power of attorney to someone in Pakistan.

How do I make a power of attorney from abroad?

You have two options, and both run in parallel:

1. Online through NADRA. Sign up on NADRA’s PoA portal, upload the power of attorney and documents, and add your biometrics and those of two witnesses. After you pay, a consular officer interviews you by video. You then post the original document and receipt to your attorney in Pakistan.
2. In person at a Pakistani embassy or consulate. At the Copenhagen embassy, for example, all signers appear with a computer-printed document and two witnesses.

You need a valid CNIC, NICOP or POC for yourself, both witnesses and the attorney. The Foreign Ministry’s undated notice gives the online fee as $36; check the current fee on the portal.

The bank decides the form. SBP describes a special power of attorney attested by the Pakistani mission. Bank AL Habib asks for a general power of attorney attested by the embassy. Your attorney then has it counter-attested by the Foreign Office and registered in Pakistan.

How much tax do overseas Pakistanis pay on property?

Under the Income Tax Ordinance as amended to 30 June 2026:

Clause 111AC of the Second Schedule, added in 2022, means the higher non-filer rates don’t apply to a non-resident NICOP or POC holder, for these two taxes only. The value used can’t be lower than FBR’s valuation table.

If you bought and sell through a foreign-currency or rupee value account (an RDA is one of these), the 236K and 236C tax is final. You pay no separate capital gains tax on the sale. A housing scheme for expatriates run by a federal or provincial government or authority, paid in foreign exchange through banks, is exempt from 236K.

Provincial stamp duty and transfer fees come on top: see tax on property sale in Pakistan and property transfer in Punjab.

Can I send the money back abroad?

Yes, after three years. Bank AL Habib’s terms say:

• Hold the property three years, then send back the full sale proceeds.
• Sell earlier and you can send back only the lower of the sale price or your original rupee investment. The rest waits until three years have passed.
• If you paid in instalments, the three years count from the last payment.

Meezan adds that every payment must come from your rupee RDA for full repatriation later. Rent can be paid from the tenant’s account into your RDA. To hold the money in dollars meanwhile, see dollar accounts in Pakistan.

What should I check before paying?

The bank checks the seller and the value. You still own the risk on the title and the society.

• Ownership record. In Punjab, get a fard online and match the seller’s name, share and area.
• Society approval. Check the development authority’s approval for the exact block or phase. Our society reviews give each one’s status with a date.
• Off-plan deals. SBP says off-plan financing needs a three-way agreement between the bank, builder and you, covering the completion date and penalties for delay. Read it before you sign.
• Power of attorney scope. Give your attorney only the powers the deal needs.

What we couldn’t check

SBP’s website blocked us, so its Roshan Apna Ghar terms come from the Internet Archive copy dated 20 April 2026. Meezan’s page (updated August 2026), HBL’s (October 2026) and Bank AL Habib’s current page show the same pricing. Bank Alfalah and Bank of Punjab didn’t load, and the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation website blocked us, so we left out their schemes.

More guides: Roshan Digital Account investments, home loans, property tax in Punjab, marla to square feet, Property.