Degrees, attestation and documents

Proving your documents are genuine, getting your degree compared and building the rest of the document kit before an offer arrives.

Attestation

Also called degree attestation, document attestation

What: Official stamps from authorities in your home country, such as the education regulator and the foreign ministry, confirming that a degree or certificate is genuine.
Why: Work permits that depend on education need proof the certificate is real, and the chain can take weeks.

Watch out

Paying a "fast attestation" agent who supplies fake stamps; forged attestation can lead to a ban.

Apostille

What: A single certificate from your own government that makes a public document valid in every member country of the Hague Apostille Convention, with no embassy stamp.
Why: As of 2026 Pakistan (since March 2023), India, Bangladesh (since March 2025), Saudi Arabia, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Japan, Korea and Singapore are members, which shortens the chain.

Watch out

Following an old process with embassy stamps that a member country no longer needs.

Embassy legalisation

Also called consular legalisation, embassy attestation

What: The longer chain for countries outside the Apostille Convention: home foreign ministry, then the destination's embassy, then sometimes the destination's foreign ministry.
Why: The UAE and Qatar were not Apostille members as of October 2026, so documents for them usually need legalisation.
Example: A Pakistani degree for a UAE permit: HEC attestation, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE embassy, then the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs after arrival.

Watch out

Leaving the embassy step until after you arrive, when it can only be done in your home country.

Credential recognition

Also called credential evaluation, degree recognition, equivalence

What: An official statement of what your degree corresponds to in the destination's education system.
Why: Some visas, such as the EU Blue Card, need a degree recognised or comparable to a local one; others only care about the job and salary.

Watch out

Assuming a famous university at home is automatically recognised abroad.

HEC attestation

Also called HEC degree attestation, Higher Education Commission

What: Verification and attestation of degrees and transcripts from recognised Pakistani universities by the Higher Education Commission, through its online system.
Why: It is the first step for Pakistani degrees before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests or apostilles them for use abroad.

Watch out

Starting only after an offer, when backlogs can delay a visa start date.

IBCC attestation and equivalence

Also called IBCC

What: The Inter Board Committee of Chairmen in Pakistan attests matric and intermediate certificates and issues equivalence for O and A levels and foreign school qualifications.
Why: Some employers and visa processes ask for school certificates as well as the degree.

Watch out

Attesting only the degree and being asked for school certificates later.

Police clearance certificate

Also called PCC, character certificate, criminal record certificate

What: An official record from the police that you have no criminal convictions, sometimes needed from every country you lived in for a set period.
Why: Several work visas and residence permits ask for it, and it expires, so timing matters.

Watch out

Getting it so early that it expires before the visa decision.

Experience letter

Also called employment certificate, service certificate

What: A letter on company letterhead stating your job title, dates of employment and main duties, signed by the employer.
Why: Some visas count work experience, and background checks compare it with your CV.

Watch out

Leaving a job without one and struggling to get it years later.

Document checklist

What: The papers most moves need, with the lead time to plan for each.
Why: Several depend on offices you do not control, and some expire, so order and timing matter.

Code

Passport: valid well beyond your first permit
Degree + transcripts: attested or apostilled
School certificates: attested if asked
Experience letters: title, dates, duties
Police clearance: check how recent it must be
Medical: at an approved clinic, if required
Birth and marriage certificates: if family joins
Translations: certified, where not in English
Scans in one folder; note each expiry date

Watch out

Sharing passport and certificate scans with unverified recruiters.

Go deeper

HEC degree attestation, IBCC and MOFA apostille (Pakistan)Paid · guidesefism.com/resources/hec-degree-attestation