Before you start

Passport with a valid Pakistani visa, or CNIC/NICOP/POC
Evidence of profession and source of income or funds
An Islamabad address
A National Tax Number for many products

Step-by-step

1
Decide resident or non-resident before the branch visit
Non-residency here follows the Income Tax Ordinance definition rather than your visa type, and the State Bank's Foreign Exchange Manual establishes non-resident rupee accounts as a distinct regime. It determines the permitted transactions and how freely money leaves.
In personWho: YouBefore the branch visit
2
Ask your employer which branch they use
International organisations, missions and large donors in Islamabad have established relationships with particular branches — usually in Blue Area or the F sectors — where staff know the accreditation documents and the salary arrangements. Going to your employer's branch converts a difficult conversation into a routine one.
Via employerWho: YouWeek 1
3
If you are of Pakistani origin, look at the Roshan Digital Account
The State Bank's RDA framework covers non-resident Pakistanis including non-resident POC holders, opens entirely remotely in 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
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 for external income
If part or all of your salary is paid from abroad, a foreign currency account is the appropriate home for it. Many international organisations pay in dollars into local FCY accounts and this is entirely routine for the Islamabad branches.
In personWho: You
6
File every inward remittance advice from the first transfer
In an exchange-controlled economy the documentation of money entering is what supports money leaving. Ask for the advice and keep it. It cannot be reconstructed 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 or accreditation letter and evidence of source of funds
Proof of Islamabad address
National Tax Number, where required
Inward remittance advices, retained

Things most newcomers don’t know

Islamabad branches handle foreign documentation constantly, and this is a real practical advantage.

The concentration of missions, UN agencies and donor programmes means that branches in Blue Area and the F sectors process passports, accreditation letters and foreign-currency salaries as a matter of routine. The same application in a smaller Pakistani city can turn into three visits and a referral to head office. Asking your employer which branch they already use is genuinely the highest-value five minutes in the whole process.

Source: community-reported

Whether the account is resident or non-resident governs how money leaves the country.

The State Bank's Foreign Exchange Manual sets out non-resident rupee accounts as their own category with their own rules, and non-residency follows the Income Tax Ordinance rather than your visa. Pakistan's exchange controls are genuine: repatriation is a permission question. Opening the account type that was easiest at the counter is a decision you meet again, on worse terms, when you try to move funds out.

Source: State Bank of Pakistan

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

The State Bank built RDA for non-resident Pakistanis and explicitly included non-resident Pakistan Origin Card holders. Accounts open remotely, hold rupees or major foreign currencies, and permit transfers abroad without prior State Bank approval. That combination does not exist for ordinary foreign nationals. It is one more reason to establish POC eligibility before anything else — and Islamabad's international workforce has an unusually high proportion of people who qualify.

Source: State Bank of Pakistan

Accredited international-organisation staff have a different tax position, and the bank is not the place to work it out.

Salaries paid by certain international organisations to accredited staff are treated differently under the host-country agreements Pakistan has signed, and the treatment is not uniform across organisations. Bank staff will not know, and neither will a general tax adviser. Get the answer in writing from your organisation's administrative office in your first month, because it determines what you file and whether you are on the Active Taxpayers List at all.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Opening whichever account type the branch found easiest, without checking resident status.
Not asking your employer which branch already handles their staff.
Failing to request and file inward remittance advices.
Overlooking the Roshan Digital Account when you hold or could hold a POC.
Assuming your organisation's tax treatment matches another organisation's.

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