Lahore, Pakistan · Authorized by the IRS
IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent in Pakistan — Your Passport Never Leaves the Country
IMAAR International holds a formal agreement with the IRS to verify and certify identity documents for ITIN applicants in-house. Whether you're in Multan or an overseas Pakistani managing family paperwork from Dallas or Dubai — the original passport stays in Pakistani hands, always.
Passport Certification · Certificate of Accuracy (W-7 COA) · Certification-Only Appointments · Spouse & Dependent Documents · Secure Courier Option
IRS
Certifying Acceptance Agent
16+
Years of Experience
SECP
Registered Firm
3
Licensed Partners
Plain English First
What is a Certifying Acceptance Agent?
A Certifying Acceptance Agent — you'll also see it written as Certifying Acceptance Agent, and both mean the same thing — is a firm the IRS has authorized, under a signed acceptance agreement, to do the part of the ITIN process that otherwise forces your passport out of your hands: verifying your identity documents and certifying them directly to the IRS.
Here's why that matters. Form W-7, the ITIN application, must be accompanied by proof of identity and foreign status. Without a CAA, the IRS accepts only your original passport — mailed to its Austin, Texas processing center and held for months — or a copy certified by the issuing agency. With a CAA, we examine the original at our Lahore office, complete the Certificate of Accuracy (Form W-7 COA), and the IRS accepts our certification in place of your passport. You keep the original; the risk of a lost or stuck passport simply disappears.
The CAA role is the trust anchor of everything else we do in US services: it sits inside our full ITIN service, plugs the ITIN step into US tax filing engagements, and completes the journey for founders who used our US entity formation advisory.
Clearing Up the Confusion
CAA vs Acceptance Agent vs Notary vs Apostille
These four get mixed up constantly in Pakistan — and the mix-up costs people months. The blunt truth up front: a Pakistani notary attestation or an apostille cannot substitute for IRS W-7 certification. Here's what each one actually is.
| Factor | Certifying Acceptance Agent | Acceptance Agent | Pakistani Notary | Apostille |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who authorizes it | The IRS, by signed acceptance agreement | The IRS, by a more limited agreement | Pakistani provincial authorities | Hague Convention authorities (MOFA in Pakistan) |
| Can certify your passport for a W-7? | Yes — via the Certificate of Accuracy | No — originals or agency-certified copies still required | No — not accepted by the IRS | No — not accepted by the IRS for W-7 |
| Original passport stays with you? | Yes — returned at the appointment | No — it travels to the IRS or issuing agency | Irrelevant — the IRS rejects the copies anyway | Irrelevant for ITIN purposes |
| Prepares & submits the W-7 | Yes — with professional review before filing | Yes — preparation and forwarding | No | No |
| What it's actually for | The complete ITIN document route from Pakistan | W-7 help where certification isn't needed | Pakistani legal documents — affidavits, agreements | Using Pakistani public documents abroad — degrees, certificates |
If a consultant tells you a notarized passport copy "works for the IRS," that application is heading for a CP567 rejection notice. It's the most common wreckage we're asked to clean up.
Earned, Not Claimed
How IMAAR Became a Certifying Acceptance Agent
Nobody can simply declare themselves a Certifying Acceptance Agent. The IRS runs a formal Acceptance Agent Program with an application, vetting and a binding agreement — and it is deliberately selective about who represents its document-verification process overseas.
-
Application to the IRS Acceptance Agent Program
The firm and its responsible individuals apply to the IRS, disclosing professional background and business standing for suitability review.
-
Training in document verification
The program requires completion of the IRS's mandated training, including forensic document identification — how to examine a passport and recognize what a genuine one looks like.
-
The acceptance agreement
Authorization arrives as a signed agreement with the IRS setting out our verification duties, record-keeping and compliance obligations — the document we're happy to show at your appointment.
-
Ongoing compliance
The status isn't permanent decoration: agreements come up for renewal and the IRS holds agents to its standards continuously. Our IRS-authorized agent operates under those standards on every single certification.
This authorization sits alongside the firm's other verifiable credentials — SECP registration, three licensed partners, 16+ years in practice — all documented on our Licenses & Credentials page.
The Section That Matters Most
Don't Take Our Word for It — Check the IRS's Own List
Anyone can put "Certifying Acceptance Agent" on a signboard or a Facebook page. The IRS settles the question for you: it publishes the list of authorized Acceptance Agents, country by country, on IRS.gov. Firms in Pakistan appear there by name — and a firm that isn't on it, isn't one.
Before you hand anyone your passport for an ITIN — us included — spend two minutes on that list. It is the strongest protection this industry offers, and we'd rather you use it than rely on any page we wrote ourselves. At your appointment you can also ask to see our signed IRS acceptance agreement; we show it without hesitation.
View the IRS Acceptance Agent ListHow to verify in 2 minutes
- 1Open the IRS's official Acceptance Agents — Pakistan page on IRS.gov.
- 2Find our firm in the published list of authorized agents for Pakistan.
- 3At your appointment, ask to see our signed IRS acceptance agreement — we show it without hesitation.
Scope of the Authorization
What We Can Certify
For primary and secondary applicants — the taxpayer and spouse on a return — we verify and certify the passport, which the IRS treats as the standalone proof of both identity and foreign status. Where a passport isn't available, the IRS's list of alternative document combinations applies, and we'll tell you honestly whether your documents fit it before anything is scheduled.
For dependents, the rules are tighter: current IRS policy restricts which dependent documents a Certifying Acceptance Agent may certify, and supporting records — school, medical or entry evidence — are often required alongside the passport. Rather than quote rules here that the IRS revises from time to time, we confirm the current requirements for your family's exact case during the booking conversation, so nobody couriers a passport that can't be used.
Every certification ends the same way: we complete the Certificate of Accuracy (Form W-7 COA) — the attestation only a CAA can sign — and attach it to the application package. That certificate is precisely what spares your original documents the journey to Texas. For the application itself, see our W-7 preparation help or the spouse & dependent ITIN guide.
What Actually Happens
The Certification Appointment
Twenty to thirty minutes, one visit, passport back in your pocket. Here's the whole experience.
What to bring
Your valid, unexpired original passport, plus anything we've asked for in advance — the supporting return, LLC documents or income forms. Family members applying together should attend together where possible.
The interview
The IRS requires a short identity-verification interview — a conversation, not an interrogation. We confirm who you are, examine the passport, and match every detail against the W-7. Urdu or English, your choice.
The certification
We complete the Certificate of Accuracy, assemble the application package, and hand your passport straight back. Nothing of yours stays behind except copies for the IRS file we're required to keep.
Not in Lahore?
The secure two-way courier route covers every city in Pakistan: trackable dispatch, confirmation the moment your passport arrives, certification handled, immediate return dispatch. Days out of your hands — not months.
The Practical Difference
Why This Changes Your ITIN Application
Three things happen when a Certifying Acceptance Agent handles your application that cannot happen any other way from Pakistan. Your original documents stay in the country — no passport in a mail sack, no months without your primary ID, no travel plans held hostage. The rejection risk drops sharply — the document-certification errors behind so many CP567 notices are off the table, and the W-7's reason box and supporting return get professional eyes before submission, not after rejection. And the application travels a recognized channel — filed by an agent the IRS itself authorized and can hold to its standards.
Certification rarely stands alone, though. It slots into the full ITIN service for most clients, and into a US tax filing engagement when the ITIN and the 1040-NR travel together — one firm, one file, one WhatsApp thread from first question to CP565 letter.
One Office, Whole Country
Serving All of Pakistan — and Pakistanis Abroad
Certification is the only physically-anchored step in the ITIN process, and even it bends to geography: clients in Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta and every corner of Punjab, Sindh, KPK, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK choose between a Lahore visit and the secure courier route — everything before and after happens on WhatsApp regardless of where you sit.
The same is true across borders. Overseas Pakistanis in the US, UK and Gulf regularly run family certifications through us — a spouse in Sialkot, a parent in Rawalpindi — while coordinating from abroad on their own time zone. If your situation spans two countries, start the conversation and we'll map the practical path: message us on WhatsApp.
Asked Every Week
Certifying Acceptance Agent Frequently Asked Questions
The Credential
What is a Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA)?
Certifying Acceptance Agent is the IRS's official name for the role; most people in Pakistan search for Certifying Acceptance Agent — both mean the same thing. It is a firm authorized under a formal written agreement with the IRS to verify identity documents for ITIN applicants, complete the Certificate of Accuracy, and submit Form W-7 applications so original documents never have to be mailed to the IRS.
What is the difference between a Certifying Acceptance Agent and a regular Acceptance Agent?
A regular Acceptance Agent can help prepare the W-7 and forward documents, but cannot certify identity documents — applicants must still send originals or certified copies to the IRS. A Certifying Acceptance Agent holds the higher authorization: we examine and certify the passport ourselves, so the original stays with you. The distinction sits in the IRS agreement each agent signs.
Can a Pakistani notary or apostille certify my passport for an ITIN?
No. This is the single most common — and most expensive — misunderstanding. IRS rules for Form W-7 accept only three certification routes: the original document itself, a copy certified by the issuing agency, or verification by a Certifying Acceptance Agent. A Pakistani notary stamp or an apostille certifies things for other legal purposes; the IRS will reject an ITIN application relying on either.
Is IMAAR really listed by the IRS, and how do I check?
You can check independently: the IRS publishes its Acceptance Agent list by country on IRS.gov, and firms in Pakistan appear there by name. We'll also gladly show you our IRS acceptance agreement at your appointment, alongside the SECP registration and partner licenses on our Licenses & Credentials page. Any genuine CAA will welcome exactly this question.
The Appointment
What should I bring to the certification appointment?
Your valid, unexpired original passport — that's the essential item. If we're handling the full application, also bring (or send ahead) the documents behind your US tax purpose: LLC papers, income forms or the tax return we're attaching. For dependent applications, ask us first; document requirements differ and we'll confirm the current list for your case.
How long does the appointment take?
Plan for roughly 20–30 minutes at our Gulberg III office. The appointment covers the identity verification interview the IRS requires, examination of your passport, and confirmation of the details going onto the W-7 and Certificate of Accuracy. You leave with your passport in hand and a clear list of anything still pending.
Do you certify documents for dependents and spouses?
Yes — spouses and dependents can be served, and this is where rules are strictest. Current IRS policy limits which documents a CAA may certify for dependents, and supporting records are often required. We confirm the current requirements for your family's exact situation before the appointment so no one travels or couriers documents unnecessarily.
What is the Certificate of Accuracy (Form W-7 COA)?
The Certificate of Accuracy — Form W-7 (COA) — is the document only a Certifying Acceptance Agent can issue. It tells the IRS that we examined your original documents, verified your identity and foreign status, and attest to the application's accuracy. Attached to your W-7, it is what replaces mailing your passport to Austin, Texas.
Fees & Options
What does certification cost compared to the full ITIN service?
Certification-only is a smaller engagement than the full ITIN service, and priced accordingly — both as fixed fees quoted before work begins. Most clients choose the full service (W-7 preparation, certification and submission together) because the certification is only as useful as the application behind it. A short WhatsApp conversation gets you both quotes.
Can I book certification only, if I've prepared my own W-7?
Yes, certification-only appointments are available if you've prepared your own W-7 and return. One honest caution: we routinely catch reason-box and document errors in self-prepared applications during certification, so we'll point out anything we see. Fixing it on the spot is usually a small addition rather than a new engagement.
Do I need to visit Lahore, or can I courier my passport — and is that safe?
Both options work. Clients across Pakistan either visit the Lahore office or use the secure two-way courier arrangement we coordinate with established courier services — the passport is trackable and out of your hands for days, not the months a mail-to-IRS application costs. We confirm receipt the moment it arrives and dispatch it back immediately after certification.
How does CAA certification reduce rejection risk?
Because the two biggest rejection causes disappear. Document certification errors are eliminated — the IRS receives a CAA's Certificate of Accuracy rather than hoping your copies qualify. And since certification happens alongside professional review of the W-7 reason box and supporting return, the application is checked by someone who files them routinely before it ever leaves Pakistan.
Overseas Pakistanis
I'm in the USA but my spouse is in Pakistan — can you certify her passport for our joint return?
Yes — this is one of our most common family situations. You remain in the United States; your spouse visits our Lahore office (or uses the courier route) for passport certification, and we prepare the W-7 to match your joint return. We coordinate directly with you on your time zone and with your spouse in Pakistan, in Urdu or English, until the ITIN letter arrives.
Can overseas Pakistanis courier documents for certification?
Yes. Overseas Pakistanis in the US, UK and Gulf regularly use the courier route for documents connected to family applications in Pakistan — and for their own cases, we schedule everything remotely and advise on the certification options that fit where you live. Message us with your situation and country; we'll map the practical path before anything is shipped.
Your Passport Stays With You
Book Your Certification Appointment
One WhatsApp message books your slot — office visit or courier route — and confirms exactly which documents your case needs before you travel or ship anything. Verify us on the IRS list first; we insist.