Before you start

Passport with a valid Pakistani visa, or CNIC/NICOP/POC
Evidence of profession and source of income or funds
A Multan 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
Pick a main branch rather than a neighbourhood one
Foreign-passport account opening is rare in Multan and small branches will refer it upward, which turns one visit into three. The larger branches on Abdali Road and in the Cantt handle more corporate and trade business and are more likely to have someone who has done this before. Ask on the phone first whether they open accounts for foreign nationals.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
3
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, and in a city where branch processes are slower this is a materially better route if you qualify.
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 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 specifically about the conversion spread — that is where the real cost sits, and it is wider at a branch that converts less foreign currency.
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 Multan 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

Foreign-passport account opening is genuinely uncommon here, and that is the whole difficulty.

Islamabad's branches process foreign documentation daily because of the diplomatic and donor presence; Multan's do not. The consequence is not refusal but referral — a branch manager who has to ask head office, a form that comes back for a second signature, a week of delay. Calling ahead to ask whether the branch opens accounts for foreign nationals, and going to a main rather than a neighbourhood branch, converts an irritating month into an ordinary week.

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 does not exist for ordinary foreign nationals, and given how slow the in-branch route can be in south Punjab, it is a strong reason to establish POC eligibility early.

Source: State Bank of Pakistan

Utility arrears attach to the meter, and a MEPCO summer bill is not a small number.

Electricity and gas debt in Pakistan follows the connection rather than whoever ran it up, so taking possession without documented readings can hand you someone else's arrear. In Multan that matters more than elsewhere simply because of scale: cooling a house through a run of 45°C weeks produces the largest domestic electricity bills in Punjab, and an inherited arrear on top of that is a serious sum. Photograph every meter on the day you move in and get outgoing bills settled in writing.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Opening whichever account type the branch suggested without checking resident status.
Walking into a neighbourhood branch that has never opened an account for a foreign national.
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 MEPCO and gas meter readings.

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