The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan has announced a significant change in the system for academic verification. In conjunction with the roll-out of a completely paperless, digital ‘paperless production system’, the commission has announced that the HEC Degree Attestation Fee has been increased drastically, from the old rate of Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 3,000 per document.
A fee increase is a direct hit to upfront costs for fresh graduates on entering the workforce, but the push toward a more modern digital infrastructure promises to remove the administrative hurdles, travel expenses and complex logistics previously involved in verifying documents.
The Revised Fee Structure Explained
According to official guidelines issued by HEC Chairman Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, the updated pricing matrix applies directly to all degrees, transcripts, and diplomas processed under the commission’s authority:
- Legacy Fee: Rs. 1,000 per original document.
- Revised Fee: Rs. 3,000 per original document.
Why Was the Fee Increased?
The commission has pointed out that extra revenue earned out of this new pricing structure would not be confined to the central regulator. A certain part of the fee collected would be directly credited to the universities granting the degrees. These institutions will use these funds to run, speed up and secure their document internal verification system, thereby securing an additional layer of security between the university and central HEC database.
Mechanics of the New Online e-Attestation System
The introduction of the new fee matches the rollout of a paperless degree attestation network. This upgrade removes the requirement of physically travelling to regional centres of HEC (Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta departments) or facing the threat of losing the original academic records in commercial couriers.
Primary Operational Benefits:
Eliminating Indirect Costs: Students at the baseline fee will save thousands of rupees earlier spent on travelling among cities, accommodation in hotels and food, particularly of students from Balochistan, Interior Sindh or Gilgit-Baltistan districts.
Instant e-Attestation Certificates: Applicant(s) are awarded a secure e-attestation digital certificate, once approved. Embedded security codes are found in this file, which can be scanned and validated by the employers or foreign universities in any part of the world at a flash.
Combined Billing: All the different charges that are incurred for the various steps involved in the university verification process, photocopies, actual attention to the submission form, etc. are now brought together in one single dashboard online.
Step-by-Step Degree Verification and Payment Guide
The workflow in the online application has been revised for the secure application process:
Account Registration: Log on to the official HEC Degree Attestation website and register your account with your CNIC or Passport.
Document Uploading: upload your degrees, detailed marks certificates (DMCs), transcripts and matric/intermediate certificates to an active dashboard in high resolution.
Institutional Check: The portal automatically forwards the digital copies to your graduating university’s verification desk for records matching.
Digital Fee Settlement: Upon verification from your university, a payment link will be generated. The Rs. 3,000 per document fee can be paid via integrated digital channels, including 1Link, debit/credit cards, or mobile wallets.
Downloading the e-Certificate: Once your financial transaction is processed, your finalized e-attestation certificate will be issued directly to your portal dashboard for download.
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