Roshan Digital Account and Naya Pakistan Certificates 2026: a guide for overseas Pakistanis
Who can open a Roshan Digital Account, documents, Naya Pakistan Certificate rates from June 2026, 10% final tax, repatriation and Roshan Apni Car.
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The Roshan Digital Account (RDA) is the State Bank of Pakistan’s scheme that lets overseas Pakistanis open a Pakistani bank account online without visiting a branch, and use it to invest in Naya Pakistan Certificates, the stock market and property. By September 2026, SBP’s provisional figures show over 975,000 accounts and US$14.16 billion received. This guide covers who can open one, what the certificates pay now, how much tax is deducted and how money goes back out.
Who can open an account
- Overseas Pakistanis with a Pakistani passport, NICOP, POC or CNIC, whether employed, self-employed, unemployed, homemakers, students, children or pensioners.
- Foreign individuals and companies: SBP’s EPD Circular Letter 05 of 24 March 2026 opened these accounts to every non-resident person and entity as defined in the Income Tax Ordinance.
- Residents of Pakistan only if they hold assets abroad declared in their latest wealth statement to FBR; they open the account at a branch.
There are two account types: the Foreign Currency Value Account (FCVA) and the rupee Non-Resident Value Account (NRVA). Either can be current or savings, single or joint, conventional or Shariah-compliant, and you can convert between foreign currency and rupees online in real time.
How to open one
- Pick a participating bank. SBP’s list includes Allied, Alfalah, Al Habib, Bank of Punjab, Dubai Islamic, Faysal, HBL, HabibMetro, JS, MCB, Meezan, Samba, Standard Chartered, UBL and Askari Bank.
- Fill in the online form on the bank’s website or app and choose a foreign currency or rupee account.
- Upload documents and take a live photo. The bank must finish its checks within 48 hours for individuals and 5 days for entities.
- Once confirmed, send money from abroad.
Documents: CNIC, NICOP or POC (a valid ID for foreign nationals), passport if you have one, proof of non-resident status, FATCA forms for US persons, and proof of income: for salaried people an employment letter, payslip or bank statement; for business owners the business registration or a bank statement.
Naya Pakistan Certificates: current rates
A Naya Pakistan Certificate (NPC) is a Government of Pakistan certificate sold only through Roshan Digital Accounts. The rates in Finance Division S.R.O. 870(I)/2026 of 15 May 2026 apply to certificates issued from 1 June 2026 (per year, before tax):
| Currency | 3 months | 6 months | 12 months | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 6.75% | 7% | 7.25% | 7.5% | 7.75% |
| PKR | 11.75% | 12% | 12.25% | 12.5% | 12.75% |
| GBP | 6.75% | 7.25% | 7.5% | 7.75% | 8% |
| EUR | 4.75% | 5.25% | 5.5% | 6% | 6.25% |
| SAR | 6.5% | 6.75% | 7% | 7.25% | 7.5% |
| AED | 6.5% | 6.75% | 7% | 7.25% | 7.5% |
- 3, 6 and 12-month certificates pay profit at maturity; 3 and 5-year certificates pay every six months.
- The Gazette sets the minimum at 1,000 in US dollars, pounds, euros, riyals and dirhams, and Rs 10,000 for rupee certificates. SBP’s FAQ page still shows older, higher minimums, so confirm with your bank.
- Islamic NPCs carry the same expected rates, but the actual profit is set each month on a Mudaraba basis from actual results.
- No zakat is deducted on NPCs, and minors can invest through a guardian.
Worked examples: what you keep after tax
Dollar certificate, 12 months: US$ 10,000 at 7.25% = US$ 725 profit; 10% tax of US$ 72.5 leaves US$ 652.5, about Rs 180,646 at the interbank rate of 22 October 2026. The money stays in dollars, so a weaker rupee does not touch it.
Rupee certificate, 5 years: Rs 1,000,000 at 12.75% = Rs 63,750 profit every six months, Rs 57,375 after tax. The rate is higher, but if the rupee falls against the dollar over the period, the gain measured in dollars shrinks. Use the currency converter to see amounts in your own currency.
Tax: what is deducted and what is not
- Account profit: profit on a non-resident’s foreign currency account, and on a rupee account funded only from abroad, is exempt (Second Schedule clauses 78 and 79), with zero withholding (clause 5AC). SBP says no exemption certificate is needed.
- Naya Pakistan Certificates: 10% final tax on the profit (clause 5AA; clause 5AB for residents with declared foreign assets).
- Filer or non-filer: under clause 111AB, the doubled non-filer rates do not apply to these accounts.
- Shares and mutual funds: SBP states 15% final tax on capital gains and on ordinary dividends.
- Cash withdrawals: we found no clear exemption for RDAs from the 0.8% tax on non-filers’ cash withdrawals (section 231AB); ask your bank. Our banking withholding tax guide explains that tax.
Sending money back
SBP says money in a Roshan Digital Account can be sent abroad without approval from the bank or SBP, and NPC profit, share sale proceeds and money from property bought through the account can come into it and go out the same way. Of the US$14.16 billion received by September 2026, US$2.15 billion had been sent back and US$8.94 billion used in Pakistan. No official timeline for how many days a transfer takes is published.
Roshan Apni Car, Roshan Apna Ghar and shares
- Roshan Apni Car: car financing for your family in Pakistan, applied for fully online. The lien-based floating rate is the SBP floor + 1%, currently 11.5%; without a lien it is KIBOR + 1%. Tenor 2 to 7 years. Get the actual offer from your bank.
- Roshan Apna Ghar: financing to buy, build or renovate a home over 3 to 25 years, at 1-year KIBOR when lien-based. For transfer taxes, see property transfer taxes.
- Roshan Equity Investment: invest on the Pakistan Stock Exchange through your bank and an eligible broker; dividends and sale proceeds can be sent abroad without approval.
Before you invest
- Decide whether you want to hold dollars or rupees: the higher rate on rupee certificates is payment for currency risk.
- The government revises rates from time to time; a new rate applies only to new certificates.
- To compare with an ordinary savings account in Pakistan, use the bank profit calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Can I deposit rupees from Pakistan into my Roshan Digital Account?
No. Money can come into the account only from abroad, plus income from investments made through it, such as NPC profit, dividends or rent from property bought through the account. SBP says this is what keeps the account freely repatriable.
Do I need to file a tax return in Pakistan because of my RDA?
Usually not. Clause (114A) of Part IV of the Second Schedule says the return and NTN requirements do not apply to these account holders if their only Pakistani income is profit on the account, profit on government securities such as NPCs, capital gains on property or shares, or dividends through the account. Other Pakistani income can change that.
Is a Naya Pakistan Certificate safe?
NPCs are sovereign securities issued under the Public Debt Act 1944 with the full faith and credit of the Government of Pakistan. The usual risk for a rupee certificate is the exchange rate: if the rupee falls against your home currency, your return in that currency falls too.
Can I cash an NPC before maturity?
Yes, fully or partly. You get profit at the rate of the nearest shorter tenor for the time held; for example, a 12-month certificate cashed in month 8 earns the 6-month rate. Nothing is paid if you cash it within the first three months.
Can a resident Pakistani open a Roshan Digital Account?
Only a resident who holds assets abroad declared in the latest wealth statement filed with FBR. SBP lists 11 banks for this, and the account is opened at a branch with the wealth statement or an affidavit. Money in it can be sent abroad without prior approval.
Calculators for this guide
- Currency converterConvert Pakistani rupees to and from US dollars, Saudi riyals, UAE dirhams, pounds and euros at the rate you are offered, with State Bank reference rates.
- Bank profit calculatorWork out the monthly, quarterly or half-yearly profit on a bank savings account after 20% (filer) or 40% (non-filer) withholding tax.
Sources
- State Bank of Pakistan: Roshan Digital Accounts (eligibility, documents, account features, tax regime, FAQs)
- SBP: Roshan Digital Account for resident Pakistanis
- Finance Division S.R.O. 870(I)/2026, Gazette of Pakistan, 15 May 2026: NPC currencies, minimum denominations and rates of return
- SBP FD Circular Letter No. 04 of 2026, 1 June 2026: revised NPC rates for certificates issued from 1 June 2026
- SBP: Naya Pakistan Certificates (rates, profit payment, early encashment, agent banks)
- Islamic NPC Company letter SFAD/990/INPC-2026, 5 June 2026: INPC-V rates for PKR, SAR and AED
- SBP EPD Circular Letter No. 05 of 2026, 24 March 2026: foreign currency and non-resident rupee value accounts
- Income Tax Ordinance 2001 as amended up to 30 June 2026 (FBR): Second Schedule Part I clauses (78), (79); Part II clauses (5AA), (5AB), (5AC); Part IV clauses (111AB), (114A)
- SBP: Roshan Apni Car, Roshan Apna Ghar and Roshan Equity Investment pages
- SBP: Roshan Digital Accounts key statistics, September 2026 (provisional)
- Rupee conversion at the SBP interbank reference of 22 October 2026 (Rs 276.85 per US dollar), as used by the PakHisaab currency converter
This guide explains the rules for general information. It is not official, legal or tax advice. Rules change, so check the official source or a qualified professional before acting. See how we check our information.