If you live in Texas and draw an EOBI or government pension from Pakistan, you must periodically submit a life certificate so the payments continue. And if a relative in Pakistan has passed away and you are entitled to a survivor's benefit, you may need to send a US death certificate to Pakistan in a form the disbursing office will accept. In both situations, a Texas document usually has to be authenticated before it carries legal weight in Pakistan.
This page explains when an apostille is required, how the Texas process works, and what Pakistan generally expects for proof-of-life and survivor claims.
What an apostille is
An apostille is a certificate that authenticates a public document — a notary's signature, a court seal, a registrar's certification — so it will be accepted by authorities in another country. For countries in the Hague Apostille Convention, the apostille is the finish line. For countries outside it, the same Texas certificate is the first step in a short legalization chain.
Does an apostille work in Pakistan?
Yes. Pakistan has been a member of the Hague Apostille Convention since 2023, so a document apostilled by the Texas Secretary of State is recognized in Pakistan without traditional consular legalization. In practice, some disbursing offices are still catching up and may expect Pakistani consular attestation on the older model, so confirm with your specific pension or EOBI office which form of authentication it currently accepts before you pay for one.
Remember that the apostille only authenticates the signature on the document, not its contents.
How the Texas Secretary of State apostille works
Texas apostilles come from a single office: the Secretary of State's Authentications Unit in Austin. There is no county-clerk step — a document notarized by any Texas notary, in any of the 254 counties, goes straight to the state. Since October 2023 Texas issues one Universal Apostille (Form 2102) that works for every destination, whether or not the country belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention.
The state fee is $15 per document. Mailed requests can take up to 25 business days; in-person and appointment service in Austin is same-day for up to 10 documents, and a bulk drop-box handles larger batches in 24–48 hours. There is no online submission — every request is handled by mail or in person. Certified copies of vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce) must be less than five years old.