By documentوکالت نامہ
Power of Attorney and Mukhtarnama Translation
A power of attorney is the one document on this site where a translation error can transfer property. Most of the work reaching us comes from overseas Pakistanis granting authority to a relative at home, and the direction of the attestation chain runs the opposite way from a visa file.
What is a power of attorney?
A power of attorney, wakalat nama or mukhtarnama, authorises someone to act on your behalf. Overseas Pakistanis usually sign it abroad, have it attested at the Pakistani mission there, then send it home. Translation starts from Rs. 3,000. Property powers are read closely because an ambiguous clause can transfer an asset.
- Starting price
- Rs. 3,000
- Turnaround
- Standard delivery at the normal rate. Ask before relying on urgent delivery, since notarisation depends on a third party.
- Issued by
- Drawn up privately or by a lawyer, then notarised, and for overseas Pakistanis attested at the Pakistani mission in the country where it is signed
Fields that must match your passport
A mismatch here is the commonest avoidable rejection.
- Grantor's full name, matched to passport and CNIC
- Attorney's full name, matched to their CNIC
- Father's name, waldiyat, for both parties
- Property description, khasra, khewat and plot numbers exactly as written
- Place names, tehsil and district
Who usually asks for it
- Sub-registrars and land revenue offices for property transactions
- Courts, for representation in a matter
- Banks and financial institutions
Why this document gets rejected
- A vague description of the powers granted, so the registrar or bank cannot tell whether the specific act is authorised
- Property identifiers such as khasra or khewat numbers reproduced approximately rather than digit for digit
Where attestation sits
For an overseas power of attorney the chain runs the other way. Sign and notarise abroad, attest at the Pakistani embassy or consulate there, then send it to Pakistan for use. Translation comes after that attestation, not before.
Read the attestation sequenceThe one document where a translation error moves an asset
Most documents on this site prove something. A power of attorney does something — it authorises another person to act in your name, and for property matters that can mean signing away a plot.
That changes how it has to be translated. Everything else here is about matching a record. This is about scope: exactly what the holder is and is not permitted to do.
The overseas route, which runs backwards
Most powers of attorney reaching us come from Pakistanis abroad granting authority to a relative at home. The chain runs the opposite direction from a visa file:
- Draw up the document where you are — with a lawyer, for anything involving property
- Sign before a notary in that country
- Attest at the Pakistani embassy or consulate in that country
- Send to Pakistan for use
- Translate, if it is not already in English or Urdu
Note that step 3 is the Pakistani mission abroad, not MOFA in Islamabad. Confirm the requirements with that mission and with the sub-registrar or bank that will act on the document, because both have a say and they do not always want the same thing.
Scope is the substance
A registrar, bank, or court will act only on authority the document clearly grants.
“Manage my affairs” may not be enough to sell a plot. Something drafted too broadly may be refused as insufficiently specific. Where that line falls is a drafting question for a lawyer, not a translation question.
But a translation that blurs the distinction destroys it. So we render the scope exactly as written — including anything ambiguous. If the source wording looks unclear to us, we say so rather than quietly tidying it into something more confident than the original.
We do not draft powers of attorney. For property, use a lawyer.
Property identifiers, digit for digit
Khasra, khewat, khatooni, and plot numbers are how the land is identified. An approximation makes the document unusable at the revenue office.
These are reproduced exactly. Where a figure is genuinely illegible in the original, we mark it illegible rather than guessing — a guessed plot number on a property power is the worst available error on this document, because it may authorise a transaction over land you do not own.
Names matter equally: grantor and attorney full names matched to passport and CNIC, waldiyat for both, and tehsil and district spelled consistently.
Notarisation is a separate step
A notary witnesses a signature. A certified translation states the translation is accurate. They answer different questions, and property and court matters commonly require both.
We can coordinate notarisation through third-party providers — see notarized translation assistance — but the timing then depends on the notary rather than on us. That is why we ask you not to plan a notarised power of attorney around same-day delivery.
Roman spellings people search
wakalat nama · mukhtarnama · mukhtar nama · power of attorney. Same document. Some clients also say am mukhtarnama for a general power and khas mukhtarnama for a specific one — that distinction is exactly the scope question above, and it is worth being deliberate about.
Related
Affidavit translation covers the halaf nama, which frequently accompanies a power of attorney. Notarized translation assistance explains what we can and cannot coordinate, and certified versus notarized translation sets out the difference.
Send the document and tell us what the holder needs to do with it. If the wording looks too vague to achieve that, we will say so before translating it.
Frequently Asked Questions
I live abroad and need to give my brother authority over property in Pakistan. What is the process?
Broadly, you draw up the document where you are, sign it before a notary there, and have it attested at the Pakistani embassy or consulate in that country. It is then sent to Pakistan for use, and translated if it is not already in English or Urdu. Confirm the exact requirements with the Pakistani mission handling it and with the sub-registrar who will act on it, because both have a say.
Why is the wording of the powers so important?
Because a registrar, bank, or court will only act on authority the document clearly grants. A power that says manage my affairs may not be enough to sell a plot, and one that is too broad may be refused as insufficiently specific. That is a drafting question for a lawyer rather than a translation question, but a translation that blurs the distinction destroys it. We render the scope exactly as written, including anything ambiguous.
Do you draft the power of attorney?
No. We translate. Drafting a power of attorney is legal work and should be done by a lawyer, particularly for property, because the scope of the authority is the entire substance of the document. We will translate what a lawyer has drafted, and we will tell you if the source wording looks ambiguous rather than quietly tidying it.
How are property identifiers handled?
Digit for digit, exactly as written. Khasra, khewat, khatooni and plot numbers are how the land is identified, and an approximation makes the document unusable at the revenue office. Where a figure is genuinely illegible in the original we mark it as such rather than guessing, because a guessed plot number on a property power is the worst error available on this document.
Does it need to be notarised as well as translated?
Almost always, and notarisation is a separate step from translation. A notary witnesses a signature; a certified translation states the translation is accurate. Property and court matters commonly require both. We can coordinate notarisation through third-party providers, and the timing then depends on them rather than on us.
What does power of attorney translation cost?
From Rs. 3,000, the legal document rate. Density drives the figure more than page count, since these documents are clause-heavy. Ask before planning around urgent delivery, because if notarisation is involved the schedule is not ours to control.
Send the document and we will quote it
Photograph every page and both sides, include your passport so names match, and tell us where it is being submitted. Price and turnaround confirmed before any work starts.