MoFA Apostille Fee Audit Flags Sixfold Hike
MoFA Apostille fee audit findings have put the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under scrutiny over two separate issues: a sharp rise in document certification fees, and the award of courier contracts without open tenders. The Auditor General of Pakistan, in its audit report for 2025-26 covering the financial year 2024-25, flagged irregularities in both areas.
The audit does not cancel the new fees, and it does not accuse any individual of personal gain. What it does say is that proper procedure was not followed. Fees with financial implications need Finance Division approval and a Gazette notification, the audit says, and public contracts need open competitive bidding. On both counts, the ministry fell short, according to the Auditor General.
For the thousands of Pakistanis who get documents certified for study, work or migration abroad, the findings matter. Apostille certification is the step that makes a Pakistani document valid for use in another country. When its price rises sixfold, and when the courier system around it is awarded without competition, the cost and the quality of the service both come into question.
MoFA Apostille fee audit: the fee rises
The ministry revised Apostille fees on July 8, 2024, without prior approval from the Finance Division and allegedly without notifying the new rates in the official Gazette, according to the audit. The rises were large:
| Document type | Old fee | New fee |
|---|---|---|
| Personal documents | Rs500 | Rs3,000 |
| Legal documents | Rs700 | Rs4,500 |
| Commercial documents | Rs3,000 | Rs12,000 |
Personal document fees rose six times, legal document fees rose about 6.4 times, and commercial document fees rose four times. For a person apostilling three personal documents, such as a degree, a transcript and a birth certificate, the old cost was Rs1,500. At the revised rates, the same three documents cost Rs9,000, an extra Rs7,500. A legal document now costs Rs3,800 more than before, while businesses pay Rs9,000 more for every commercial document. Courier charges for collecting and delivering documents come on top of these fees.
The Auditor General cited Rule 18 of the Financial Management and Powers of Principal Accounting Officers Regulations 2021, which requires prior consultation with the Finance Division on decisions with financial implications, including the imposition of fees, levies and other charges. The audit also referred to Clause 4 of the Apostille Act 2024, under which the competent authority may set fees for Apostille certificates through a notification in the official Gazette. The audit said new rates should have been fixed with Finance Division approval and through the prescribed legal procedure.
The ministry’s response, as recorded in the audit, was that setting service charges was the prerogative of the competent authority under the Apostille Act 2024. That position was put to the Departmental Accounts Committee, or DAC, at a meeting on December 19, 2025. The audit stood by its objection, and the DAC directed the ministry to take up the matter with the Finance Division.
Courier contracts awarded without open tenders
In a separate observation, the Auditor General questioned the ministry’s decision to outsource Apostille courier services to five companies without inviting open tenders, setting selection criteria, or competitively evaluating their business profiles. The five companies, TCS, Leopards, Gerry’s, M&P, and Excellent Courier Services, known as ECS, were engaged from May 17, 2024, to collect and deliver documents submitted for Apostille certification.
Concerns over one courier company
What it means for applicants
Frequently asked questions
What did the MoFA Apostille audit find?
The Auditor General flagged a sixfold rise in Apostille fees imposed without Finance Division approval or Gazette notification, and courier contracts awarded to five companies without open tenders.
How much did Apostille fees rise?
Personal document fees rose from Rs500 to Rs3,000, legal document fees from Rs700 to Rs4,500, and commercial document fees from Rs3,000 to Rs12,000.
Are the new fees cancelled?
No. The audit does not cancel the fees. The Departmental Accounts Committee directed the ministry to take up the matter with the Finance Division and the Law and Justice Division, so the revised rates remain for now.
Which courier companies were involved?
TCS, Leopards, Gerry’s, M&P, and Excellent Courier Services were engaged from May 17, 2024, to collect and deliver Apostille documents, without open competitive bidding, according to the audit.
What happens next?
The DAC directed the ministry to hold a fact-finding inquiry into the courier awards and immediately float a tender, and to take the fee matter up with the Finance Division. The Auditor General recommended both directives be implemented.
