• Officials failing to submit declarations will face disciplinary proceedings
• Failure to disclose such information at opportune time may render their appointment void

ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday directed civil servants who have yet to declare their foreign or dual nationalities, and those of their family members, to do so within a week or face disciplinary proceedings.

In an office memorandum sent to all ministries and divisions, as well as provincial chief secretaries and police chiefs, the Establishment Division recalled that civil servants of all cadres and categories had been notified in June about the Civil Servants (Disclosure and Prohibition of Foreign and Dual Nationality) Rules, 2026.

Rule 3(3) required all civil servants to declare their own and their dependents’ foreign or dual nationalities within 90 days of publication of the rules in the official gazette on June 1. Therefore, the deadline expired on Sept 1.

The Establishment Division had also reminded departments on July 17 that within 90 days of notification of the rules, all civil servants were required to submit a declaration in the prescribed format regarding their own and their dependents’ nationality status, possession of foreign travel documents and marriage to a foreign national.

Rule 3(4) provides that failure to submit the required declaration, or submission of a false declaration, constitutes misconduct under the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020.

In its latest order, the Establishment Division pointed out that a number of officers belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service (formerly DMG), Police Service of Pakistan, Secretariat Group and Office Management Group had still not submitted their declarations of foreign nationality.

It said the competent authority had directed that officers of the PAS, PSP, SG and OMG who failed to furnish their declarations within a week would be liable to proceedings under the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020.

Under the 2026 rules, every civil servant is also required, at the time of appointment, to declare to the cadre administrator whether he or she, or any dependent, is a foreign national or holds a foreign travel document.

“Failure to make such declaration or making a false declaration in this respect shall render the appointment void ab initio and liable to termination at any time,” Rule 3 states.

Civil servants are also required to submit an annual declaration to their cadre administrators regarding their own and their dependents’ foreign nationality status, and whether they have obtained or are in the process of obtaining foreign nationality or a foreign travel document without prior sanction.

They are also required to upd­ate the status of any marriage involving themselves or their dep­endents with a foreign national.

The rules generally prohibit civil servants and their dependents from seeking or applying for foreign nationality or a foreign travel document without prior approval of the appointing authority.

Rule 4 further provides that no such approval may be granted for a country where the civil servant is serving, or has served, on an accredited diplomatic posting.

In case a civil servant or dependent already holds foreign nationality or foreign travel documents of a country in which the official is serving or has served on diplomatic assignment, the rules require that status or those documents to be revoked, withdrawn, cancelled or renounced, as the case may be.

Rule 6, dealing with marriages to foreign nationals, provides that a civil servant who has contracted or intends to contract such a marriage will continue to be governed by the Government Servants (Marriage with Foreign Nationals) Rules, 1962.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2026