The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) on Monday announced the launch of a “fully online and paperless” degree attestation system to facilitate students.

In December last year, the HEC said that it had initiated a project to revamp its degree attestation system by integrating cutting-edge blockchain technology, saying the project would be completed within six months. Meanwhile, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Government Assurances had also asked the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to reduce the turnaround time in degree attestation.

In a social media post on X, HEC Chairman Dr Niaz Ahmed Akhtar said, “HEC has revamped the Degree Attestation System (DAS) by introducing a fully online and paperless attestation mechanism to facilitate students and graduates across Pakistan.”

Under the new system, he explained, applicants will no longer be required to physically visit HEC offices or submit original documents.

“Applications for online attestation can now be submitted 24/7 through the HEC e-Services Portal,” he added.

He said that the new e-attestation certificate system was designed to provide a “secure, efficient, and user-friendly process,” with online verification available for attested documents and certificates.

According to information available on HEC’s official website, “This modern system is fast, convenient, and hassle-free, removing the need for applicants to visit HEC offices or submit original documents in hard copy. Applications can be submitted anytime (24/7) through the online portal at www.eservices.hec.gov.pk.”

Candidates can apply for the online degree attestation by creating an account and providing personal and academic details. The candidates will then upload the transcripts online for scrutiny by the HEC and verification of credentials by the respective universities.

The payment can be made online through 1-link.

After a final review, an e-attestation certificate will be issued against the documents applied for attestation. Applicants will be notified via SMS and email.

The applicants can also download the verifiable certificate from their online account at the HEC Portal.

Before this initiative, candidates had to send their documents via post to HEC or visit its offices to get their documents attested. The new project will now issue a verifiable e-certificate instead of a stamp, minimising the time and cost required by the manual process.