Before you start

Passport with a valid Pakistani visa, or CNIC/NICOP/POC
Evidence of profession and source of income or funds
A Lahore 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 what transactions are permitted and how money leaves.
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, and holds rupees or major foreign currencies with funds fully repatriable without prior State Bank approval. There is no equivalent for foreign nationals with no Pakistani connection.
OnlineWho: You
3
Take a complete file to the branch
Passport and visa, employment letter or other proof of source of income, and a Lahore address. Pakistani banks apply KYC seriously and a partial file means a second appointment. Ask the branch for its own checklist first — they differ.
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.
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 — it is where the real cost sits.
In personWho: You
6
File every inward remittance advice
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.
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 Lahore 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

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 it is another reason to establish POC eligibility before anything else. For anyone with Lahore family roots this is often the cleanest way to hold money in Pakistan.

Source: State Bank of Pakistan

Gas and electricity connections are in the previous occupant's name until you change them, and arrears follow the connection.

Utility debt in Pakistan attaches to the meter rather than to the person, and it is entirely possible to inherit a substantial LESCO or Sui Northern arrear by taking possession without documented readings. Banks and landlords will not warn you about this. Photograph every meter on the day you move in, get the outgoing bills settled in writing, and treat the transfer of the connection as part of the tenancy rather than an afterthought.

Source: community-reported

An NTN is not filer status, and filer status is what saves you money.

Registering for a National Tax Number through the FBR's IRIS portal is step one. Appearing on the Active Taxpayers List requires filing a return by the due date, and a late filer is admitted only after a surcharge. Non-filers pay materially higher withholding on property, vehicles, dividends and certain banking transactions. The list rebuilds weekly, so the status is not something you acquire once.

Source: Federal Board of Revenue

Common mistakes to avoid

Opening whichever account type the branch suggested without checking resident status.
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 documented meter readings and inheriting utility arrears.
Assuming an NTN alone puts you on the Active Taxpayers List.

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