Before you start

Passport with a valid Pakistani visa, or CNIC/NICOP/POC
Evidence of profession and source of income or funds
A Faisalabad address
A National Tax Number for some products and most banks' preference

Step-by-step

1
Settle resident versus non-resident before the branch visit
Non-residency for this purpose follows the Income Tax Ordinance definition rather than your visa type, and the State Bank's Foreign Exchange Manual sets out non-resident rupee accounts as their own category. Which one you open governs the permitted transactions and how freely money leaves the country.
In personWho: YouBefore the branch visit
2
If you hold or could hold a POC, look at the Roshan Digital Account
The State Bank's RDA framework covers non-resident Pakistanis including non-resident POC holders, opens entirely online, holds rupees or major foreign currencies, and permits transfers abroad without prior State Bank approval. There is no equivalent facility for foreign nationals with no Pakistani connection.
OnlineWho: You
3
Take a complete file to a branch that handles trade
Passport and visa, employment letter or other proof of source of income, and a Faisalabad address. Pakistani banks apply KYC seriously and a partial file means a second appointment. If your work touches exports at all, pick a branch with a trade desk rather than a retail-only one — the difference in competence is large and it shows up on your first letter of credit rather than on your first deposit.
In personWho: YouWeek 1–2
4
Register for an NTN on IRIS
Individuals in Pakistan use the CNIC as their tax number; a foreign national registers separately through the FBR's IRIS portal. Banks ask for it and the filer status that follows changes your withholding on ordinary transactions.
OnlineWho: You
5
Open a foreign currency account if any of your income is external
Foreign currency accounts are available and are the appropriate home for money you may want to repatriate. Ask about the spread on conversion — that is where the real cost sits, not in the account fee.
In personWho: You
6
File every inward remittance advice from the first transfer
In an exchange-controlled economy the paperwork on money coming in is the evidence for money going out. Ask the bank for the advice on each substantial transfer and keep it. It cannot be reconstructed years later, and it is the single most common regret among people leaving Pakistan with savings to move.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with valid visa, or CNIC/NICOP/POC
Employment letter or evidence of source of funds
Proof of a Faisalabad address
National Tax Number where required
Inward remittance advices, retained

Things most newcomers don’t know

Resident versus non-resident is a repatriation decision disguised as a form field.

The State Bank's Foreign Exchange Manual establishes non-resident rupee accounts as a distinct regime, and non-residency follows the Income Tax Ordinance definition rather than your visa. Pakistan's exchange controls are real: moving money out is a permission question, not an automatic right. Choosing the account type that was easiest at the counter is a decision you will meet again, on worse terms, when you try to send funds abroad.

Source: State Bank of Pakistan

Faisalabad branches are unusually good at trade finance and unusually average at everything else.

This is an export city, and letters of credit, export documentation, forward cover and the State Bank's refinance facilities are routine work at branches with trade desks here. That expertise is genuinely useful if any part of your income touches exports. It does not extend to handling foreign passports, which comes up far less often in Faisalabad than in Islamabad — so expect a competent trade banker and a hesitant retail one at the same counter.

Source: community-reported

The Roshan Digital Account is fully repatriable and explicitly open to POC holders.

The State Bank built RDA for non-resident Pakistanis and included non-resident Pakistan Origin Card holders. It opens remotely, holds rupees or major foreign currencies, and permits transfers abroad without prior State Bank approval. That combination is not available to ordinary foreign nationals, and for anyone with central Punjab family roots it is often the cleanest way to hold money in Pakistan.

Source: State Bank of Pakistan

Utility arrears attach to the meter, not to the person, and in Faisalabad the meter may be industrial.

FESCO and Sui Northern debt follows the connection rather than whoever ran it up, so taking possession without documented readings can hand you someone else's arrear. In a city where a lot of housing sits beside workshops and small units, check what tariff the connection is actually on as well as what it reads — a domestic flat on a commercial or industrial connection is billed at a different rate and it is not always obvious from the paperwork. Photograph every meter on the day you move in.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Opening whichever account type the branch suggested without checking resident status.
Choosing a retail-only branch when your work involves export documentation.
Not requesting and filing inward remittance advices from the first transfer.
Missing the Roshan Digital Account route when you hold or could hold a POC.
Taking possession of a flat without photographed meter readings, or without checking the tariff category.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.