Pakistan does allow dual citizenship, but only with 22 specific countries that have formal arrangements with the Pakistani government. If you naturalize in a country outside that list, Pakistani law treats your citizenship as automatically terminated. If you naturalize in a country on the list, you keep your Pakistani nationality without having to renounce anything, and you can formalize your status through a certificate issued by the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports.
The 22 Approved Countries
The federal government maintains dual nationality arrangements with these countries under Section 14-B of the Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951, as published by the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports:
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Belgium
- Netherlands
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Norway
- Denmark
- Finland
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Luxembourg
- Egypt
- Jordan
- Syria
- Bahrain
If your second citizenship is with any of these, you are a lawful dual national. Anywhere else, and the second citizenship costs you your first.
What Happens If You Naturalize Somewhere Else
The Pakistan Citizenship Act of 1951 is the governing statute.1Refworld. Pakistan Citizenship Act, 1951 Section 14 provides that a Pakistani citizen who voluntarily acquires citizenship of another country ceases to be a Pakistani citizen. Section 14-A covers formal renunciation. Section 14-B creates the exception that makes dual nationality possible with the approved list.
The termination under Section 14 is automatic. There is no grace period and no appeal.2Directorate General of Immigration & Passports. Dual Nationality The only way to keep your Pakistani nationality while holding a second passport is for that second country to appear on the approved list.
Minors Can’t Renounce Before 21
Pakistani law prevents anyone under 21 from renouncing their Pakistani citizenship.3Consulate General Of Pakistan Los Angeles. Renunciation of Pakistani Citizenship A child born abroad to Pakistani parents who also holds citizenship in a non-approved country cannot formally give it up until they turn 21. At that point they either renounce the foreign citizenship or accept the loss of Pakistani status. For children born in approved-list countries, no action is needed at any age.
Formalizing Your Dual Status
Two documents matter in practice: the dual nationality certificate and the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP).
The dual nationality certificate is issued by the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports and officially confirms that the Pakistani government recognizes your right to hold both citizenships. Applications go through Form S, submitted either at the directorate’s offices in Pakistan or through a Pakistani consulate or embassy abroad. Names and dates of birth need to match exactly across your Pakistani identity card, foreign passport, and NADRA records; discrepancies are the most common cause of delay. Processing generally takes three to six months after the consulate forwards the application to Islamabad for background verification.2Directorate General of Immigration & Passports. Dual Nationality
The NICOP is separate. It is issued by NADRA and functions as your everyday identity card as an overseas Pakistani.4Free and Fair Election Network. Explainer: Various Pak Identity Cards and Associated Rights It lets you enter Pakistan visa-free and stay for an unlimited period, and it is what banks, land registries, and tax offices ask for.5GOV.UK. Entry requirements – Pakistan travel advice NADRA runs an online application management system for overseas Pakistanis that handles NICOP requests.6Embassy of Pakistan, Ankara – Turkiye. NADRA Services
If you have given up Pakistani citizenship entirely, the equivalent document is the Pakistan Origin Card, which grants some access to Pakistan but not full citizen rights like voting.
What Dual Citizens Can’t Do
Holding two passports does not give you the same access to public life as a single-nationality citizen. Two restrictions are firm.
Parliament and Elected Office
Article 63(1)(c) of the Constitution disqualifies anyone who acquires the citizenship of a foreign state from being elected to or serving in the Majlis-e-Shoora, which covers both the National Assembly and the Senate.7Election Commission of Pakistan. ECP Bars Dual-Nationality Holders From Contesting Elections To run for office, you must first formally renounce your foreign citizenship and provide proof. Sitting lawmakers have been disqualified after foreign passports came to light.
Armed Forces
Dual nationals are ineligible for recruitment into Pakistan’s armed forces, across all branches.8Herald Magazine. Dual nationality: a conflict of interest for bureaucrats? Senior bureaucratic positions have faced scrutiny, though the law does not impose a blanket prohibition on dual nationals in the civil service the way it does for the military and parliament.
Property, Banking, and Tax
Dual citizens retain the right to buy, own, and inherit property in Pakistan. The Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to acquire, hold, and dispose of property, and a second nationality does not strip that right. In practice, a current NICOP is what banks and land registries want to see. Let it expire and routine transactions get harder than they need to be.
Tax is where dual citizens most often get caught off guard. Under Section 82 of Pakistan’s Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, you are treated as a Pakistani tax resident if you are physically present in Pakistan for 183 days or more in a tax year, and residents are taxed on worldwide income.9Federal Board of Revenue. Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 Section 82(d) adds a catch specific to Pakistani citizens: if you are not present in any other country for more than 182 days during the tax year and you are not a tax resident anywhere else, you may still be treated as a Pakistani tax resident. Dual citizens who split time across multiple countries without clear tax residency elsewhere can end up owing Pakistani tax on worldwide income.
For dual citizens in the United States, a bilateral treaty allows credits so that tax paid in one country on the same income offsets liability in the other, and includes a non-discrimination clause.10IRS. Convention Between the United States of America and Pakistan for the Avoidance of Double Taxation Not all 22 approved countries have tax treaties with Pakistan, so double taxation is a real risk in some combinations.
Entering and Leaving Pakistan
With a NICOP or a valid Pakistani passport, you enter Pakistan without a visa and can stay indefinitely.5GOV.UK. Entry requirements – Pakistan travel advice Get your passport stamped at immigration on arrival. Without an entry stamp, leaving later becomes very difficult, and unrecorded entry is treated as a serious offense.
To depart, you need an unexpired visa, a Pakistani national identity card, or a Pakistani passport. If you entered on a visa and it expired during your stay, apply online for an exit permit before heading to the airport. Dual nationals traveling only on their foreign passport can find themselves grounded until the paperwork is cleared.