Domicile Certificates and Government Jobs: What You Need to Know

A domicile certificate is an official document stating that you are a permanent resident of a particular district or city. In the words of the ICT Administration in Islamabad, it can by law be obtained from one city only - you cannot hold two.

• Provincial posts are generally reserved for candidates domiciled in that province. Many district-level posts go further and accept only the domicile of one district or division - the advertisement says so, often in words like "domicile of the district only".
• Federal posts are shared between the provinces and regions under a quota, so your domicile decides which share of the seats you compete for.
• For Azad Jammu and Kashmir's own posts, the document that matters is the AJK State Subject certificate rather than a provincial domicile.

Domicile is issued by the district administration of the district where you permanently live. In Islamabad, the ICT Administration issues it through its Citizen Facilitation Centre. Each district publishes the documents it asks for; expect to need your CNIC and proof of residence, and check the list with your own district office before you go.

PPSC's published rules show how strictly the date is applied:

• If you applied for your domicile on or before the closing date but it was issued afterwards, PPSC accepts it - provided you can show documentary proof of when you applied.
• If you applied for your domicile after the closing date, you are not eligible for that post.
• If you lose the original after applying, you must obtain a duplicate showing the original date of issue, which must be on or before the closing date.

The lesson holds for every recruitment: get your domicile before you need it, not when you find a post.

• At PPSC, a married woman may apply on her husband's district of domicile if she produces his domicile certificate, her own previous domicile certificate and proof of marriage. Without a previous domicile of her own she is considered ineligible.
• At PPSC, permanent residents of Azad Jammu and Kashmir who are also domiciled in Punjab are considered on the basis of their Punjab district of domicile.

Rules differ between commissions, departments and testing services, and they are revised. The advertisement for the post and the instructions of the body running the recruitment are always final - where they and this guide differ, follow them.