Leaving Pakistan? Did You Get Your Protector Done?
Many people who are about to leave Pakistan to accept foreign employment usually do not know that they can’t leave the country without a stamp by Protectorate of Emigrant office on their passport. The official website of Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment is at www.beoe.gov.pk.
Allow me to break the process down in steps
- Medical Examination: This is only required for certain countries (Mostly in Middle East). Call the Protectorate office and check with them if you need medical examination. There are certain gcc approved medical centers for conducting the medical examination and giving you fitness report that you have to submit at the protectorate office.In medical examination following test are conducted
- Eye sight
- Chest X ray
- Blood test
- Urine test
- Physical examination
- NICOP: National ID Card for Overseas Pakistanis is the English version of your ID Card. Once you go there take the pictures, give thumb impressions, fill out form, e.t.c; you get a receipt. This receipt is enough to get your protector done. You get the actual NICOP card after 8 working days. This costs you another 3000 to 5000Rs (Depending upon your target country of stay).
- Protectorate Office:Now you can go to the office of protectorate, fill out forms and complete the process. You get your stamped passport after a couple of hours. This can cost you 6500Rs or above (Depending upon the target country). You have to go to a couple of places to submit chalan forms.
Documents required at Protectorate Office are:
- Original Passport
- Offer Letter/Contract
- Copy of VISA
- Your Picture
- Photocopy of your sibling, child or wife’s ID card (For insurance)
- NICOP card or its receipt
- Medical report (stamped by GAMCA)
Tips:
- Keep your original passport and original ID Card with you wherever ever you go or who ever you meet
- Take at least 20 passport size pictures. Everyone needs them on their form.
- Take plenty of your ID card photocopies.
- Leave home with at least 15,000Rs in pocket.
Another step-by-step explanation of the process is at http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Your-Passport-Stamped-from-Protectorate-of-Emigrants-in-Pakistan
Though not directly related to protector but its good to get your bachelor degrees attested by HEC and Foreign office. Your employer might ask for them.
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Protectorate Office !?! MashaAllah ,, one more thing to snatch money out of people’s pockets. It wasn’t there when I was making myself readied for Riyadh.
is this required for someone who went abroad for study visa, got job there and now visiting Pakistan and returning back on different visa (work visa due to job there) ?
Yes if you are leaving Pakistan on work visa, then you can not cross the immigration counter without a valid (not expired) protector stamp.
If you visited Pakistan and your stamp got expired then you can’t leave without getting a new one.
If you changed your visa status sitting in abroad then the first time you return, you’ll have to get it otherwise you won’t be able to go back.
Thank you Hasan for explanation,
i have one question,
on Protector STAMP there isnt any expiration date, how many years it takes to expire ?? 3 or 5 year – any idea?
Hi Zakir
I don’t remember. Please call the protectorate office and check with them.
Gentlemen, thanks for sharing this info, very helpful. Does anyone know if this is a requirement for family members of the employee as well? In my case, I am working in Singapore. My employer can process a one time entry visa for my family (the visa is a printed piece of paper with passport number, and other details, but not a stamp on the passport). Will my parents need to get this protector stamp?
Thanks.
Ahsan no its not required for the family members. Its only required for those who are going abroad for work that’s it.
really very very very informative bro.. thanks a lot and Jazak Allah…
Do we need to have NICOP card in hand even after passport is stamped. Is NICOP needed to fly with a valid visa stamped?
No you don’t need to have NICOP card in hand to fly. No one checks it.
Thanks a lot for such a quick response bro, much much appreciated!
So this means that i should apply for normal NICOP registration (as I have only 10 days left now) and just produce the receipt to Protector of Emigration office?
Just receipt is enough.
if i have my bachelors degree attested by Karachi University and then by foreign office will this be OK??
Also is attestation required on original or photo copy and can you guide the address of foreign office in Karachi.
Thank you.
Getting your degree attested is not a requirement for leaving Pakistan.
Whether you need to get it attested or not depends on whether your employer or embassy requires it.
Attested photo copy has no value. Its always the original that gets attestation.
You can find address of office on Google Maps.
Can we apply for the NICOP while visa is under processing or we have to get the visa before we can apply for NICOP?
You need VISA for applying for NICOP and protector.
Is Protectorate stamp is also a requirement for people with green card who are working in US and visiting Pakistan. To be more specific for people who help work visa before in U.S and now have green card and visiting Pakistan for vacation.
I’m not sure. You should call the Protectorate of Immigrants office. I personally think it doesn’t make sense to require you to have one but my personal opinion doesn’t matter, the law does.
Assalamu Alaikum
I already have one stamp of protector which I have got when I was leaving for KSA, Riyadh. Now I am going to Hong Kong on employment VISA so do I need to stamp my passport again??
Walaikum Assalam
As far as I know yes you need a new stamp per employer and per country. But please note that I’m not the authority in this matter and what ever information I post here can get outdated over time. Its always best to call them and ask them directly.
Regards
Hasan
Hi, I had the Protector Done, when I left the Country on Job visa to UAE in 2004, now I have changed my Job and again I will be exiting Pakistan to UAE with new Employment visa (paper Visa) as obvious my Passport on which the Protector stamp was had expired but my NICOP is still valid,
Do I have to get the Protector stamp once again, a quick reply with any reference if possible is much appreciated
According to my knowledge yes you need a new protector stamp for the new employment. But please note that I’m not the authority in this matter and what ever information I post here can get outdated over time. Its always best to call them and ask them directly.
Regards
Hasan
Hi,
How much time it will take to affix the protector stamp, after you submit the passport :
1. directly
2. via an agent
any ideas ?
Only agent can tell you how much time he would need. I don’t think there is anything that can happen quicker if you do everything legitimately.
If you read the entire article you can make a rough guess of how much time it would take.
Is there any validity / Expiry of Protector Stamp?
Someone told me that you must travel within 30days of protector stamp, is it true?
What I’ve been telling everyone who has commented on this thread is that; please call the Protectorate office and ask them. They are the best source about what is allowed and what is not. All it takes is a local call. They are helpful in answering questions.
I have been trying to call them from dubai. Have made sveral calls, but after the automic voice guidance, the line drops. Have wasted 30 dirhams in various calls but no result
Ali
A quick tip for you. What I do in situation like this is ask a local friend or relative to make calls instead of me calling from abroad.
The issue of not picking up the phone frequently occurs in correspondence with government offices in many countries.
Aoa i m already working in KSA nd came bck pakistan got my exit reentry visa from KSA, my passport expire so i renew it nd now going back ksa, my pervious passport protected so i need to get my new passport protected as well.