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.
Federal documents — FBI background checks, USCIS naturalization certificates, IRS letters — cannot be apostilled by Texas; they go to the U.S. Department of State. We confirm the correct authority before anything is filed, so your documents are never rejected on a technicality.
How Pakistan's life-certificate and survivor process works
EOBI and government pensioners living abroad must periodically submit a life certificate so that payments are not suspended. The exact frequency and accepted format can change, so confirm the current requirement directly with your disbursing office before you begin.
There are generally two practical routes to satisfy the requirement from Texas:
- Handle it through a Pakistani consulate. You appear in person, and the consulate attests your life certificate, which the disbursing office then accepts. This route suits offices that still expect consular attestation.
- Sign a life certificate before a Texas notary and apostille it. You obtain a notarized life certificate and have the Texas Secretary of State apostille it before sending it to the disbursing office in Pakistan.
For a survivor or family pension, the office will typically want an apostilled US death certificate plus proof of your relationship to the deceased, such as an apostilled marriage or birth certificate. A relative in Pakistan can often act on your behalf under an apostilled power of attorney.
Documents you'll need
- A US-issued life certificate, notarized in Texas and apostilled by the Texas Secretary of State (or consular-attested if your office requires it)
- For survivor claims: the US death certificate, apostilled
- Relationship proof (marriage or birth certificate), apostilled, for survivor benefits
- A power of attorney, apostilled, if a relative will act for you in Pakistan
- Your EOBI or pension number and identification (such as your CNIC/NICOP)
- A certified Urdu translation only if the office requests one
Translation
English is widely accepted for official processes in Pakistan, so a US document in English often needs no translation. If your specific disbursing office asks for one, obtain a certified Urdu translation after the apostille is attached, so both are covered together. Confirm the exact language and authentication requirement with the receiving office first, so you do not pay for a step you did not need.
We handle the whole apostille — you don't travel to Austin
Our firm provides full-service apostille handling: we prepare your document, coordinate Texas notarization or certified copies, file the Universal Apostille request with the Secretary of State, add U.S. Department of State and embassy legalization when a country requires it, arrange certified translation, and deliver the finished documents to you or your recipient abroad.
We also coordinate directly with your counsel overseas — a barrister or solicitor in Commonwealth countries, an advocate in South Asia, a notario público in Latin America — so the document is drafted with the exact wording their registry, court, or bank requires before anything is apostilled.
- 📞 Phone: (281) 348-6723
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A note on accuracy
Apostille and legalization requirements change, and each receiving institution — a foreign land registry, bank, pension office, or consulate — can impose its own rules. This article reflects requirements verified in 2026 and is general information, not legal advice. Contact us so we can confirm the current requirements for your specific document and destination before you file.
For the full statewide process — fees, timelines, document types, and the Hague vs. non-Hague paths — see our complete Texas Apostille Guide.