How to send a gift to family in Pakistan from abroad (and know it arrived)

The simplest way to send a gift to Pakistan from abroad is to choose a gift that's already in Pakistan, pay in a way that works from your country, and ask for a photo at delivery. That avoids international shipping and customs, gets the gift there in days rather than weeks, and gives you proof it arrived.

Here's the whole process, step by step, with the details that usually go wrong.

The short version

1. Buy in Pakistan, not abroad. Fresh gifts can't be posted, and parcels from abroad are slow.
2. Get the recipient's details right: a phone number someone will answer, and an address with a landmark.
3. Pay by bank transfer or a money-transfer app, or let family in Pakistan pay locally.
4. Pick the date with some margin, especially around Eid and for other cities.
5. Ask for a photo before the gift goes out and another at the door.
6. Add a card in your own words.

1. Choose something that's already in Pakistan

Posting a parcel from abroad can take weeks, may be opened or held at customs, and costs more to ship than many gifts are worth. Cakes, flowers and mithai can't travel at all. Buying locally means:

• Cakes, flowers and mithai arrive fresh, made the same day or the day before.
• Hampers, keepsakes and hand-made gifts can be prepared locally and sent anywhere in Pakistan by courier.
• Their favourite shop is an option too: many gift services, including ours, can buy from a specific store or a link you send.

If the gift is something only available where you live, such as a particular chocolate or a brand that isn't sold in Pakistan, it's usually easier to bring it on your next visit, or ask someone travelling to carry it, than to post it.

2. Decide what kind of gift it is

It helps to know which of these you're sending, because each one has different timing:

• For the day itself: a cake, flowers, mithai. These need an exact date and usually a morning delivery.
• Something to keep: clothes, a shawl, a framed photo, calligraphy. These can arrive a day early without losing anything.
• Made to order: a custom cake design, embroidery, a name in calligraphy. These need extra days to prepare.
• From a shop they love: a voucher, a handbag, a watch. These depend on the shop having it in stock.

Many people send one of each: something small for the day, and something that lasts.

3. Get the recipient's details right

Most delivery problems in Pakistan aren't the gift; they're the address or the phone number. Before you order, check:

• A phone number that will be answered. Riders call before they arrive. If your mother doesn't pick up unknown numbers, give a sibling's number instead, or warn her.
• A full address with a landmark. "House 12, Street 4, near the green mosque, behind the park" gets there faster than a house number alone. Add the block or phase in housing societies.
• Who will be home, and when. If the gift is a surprise, choose a time when someone is in, and tell the service not to reveal who it's from on the phone.
• Anything at the gate. Some housing societies and buildings ask riders to leave gifts with the guard. If that matters, say so.

4. Pay in a way that works from abroad

Most Pakistani gift shops can't take foreign cards directly. The common options are:

• A bank transfer or money-transfer app such as Wise or Remitly, from your country to a Pakistani bank account. Transfers can arrive in minutes or take a day or two, depending on the service and the time of day.
• Family in Pakistan paying locally by bank transfer, Raast or a mobile wallet, while you choose the gift and write the card.

Whichever you use:

• Agree the full price first, including delivery and the card, so there's nothing extra later.
• Put the order reference on the payment and keep the receipt.
• Allow time for the transfer if the date matters. A payment sent late on a Friday may not clear until after the weekend.

5. Check delivery times before you choose a date

• Same city, ready-made gift: usually the next day once payment is confirmed, sometimes the same day.
• Made-to-order gifts: add the preparation time. A custom cake or embroidery can take several days.
• Other cities by courier: usually one to three extra days, and no fresh items, because cakes and flowers don't survive a courier van.

A few things push dates back:

• Eid, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. Bakers, florists and riders are at their busiest. Order a few days earlier than usual, and for Eid, aim for the day before the expected date in case the moon is sighted early.
• Summer heat. In June and July, chocolate and cream cakes don't travel far. Choose a morning delivery, or a gift that doesn't melt.
• Public holidays and strikes, when shops close at short notice. If the date is fixed, leave a day of margin.

6. Ask for proof

The worry with sending a gift from far away is never knowing whether it arrived, or what it looked like. Ask for:

• A photo of the gift before it goes out, so you can check it matches what you agreed and the card says what you wrote.
• A photo at delivery, ideally of the gift being handed over.
• Updates on WhatsApp, so you aren't refreshing an email inbox in another time zone.

Many services, including ours, keep you posted on WhatsApp until the gift is delivered. If a photo matters to you, ask for it when you agree the details, and ask someone at home to send one too.

7. Add a personal message

A hand-written card with a few lines in your own words, in English or Urdu, is often what people remember most. Keep it short and personal: a shared memory, a nickname, or simply "wish I was there". If you're stuck, our guide to what to write in a gift card has messages for every occasion.

You can also time a video call for when the gift arrives, so you see their face when they open it.

Mistakes to avoid

• Ordering on the day for a fixed date. Leave at least a day, more in busy seasons.
• Giving only the recipient's number when they don't answer unknown callers.
• Sending fresh gifts to another city by courier. Choose a keepsake or hamper instead, or order from a bakery in that city.
• Forgetting the time difference. A "morning delivery" in Lahore is the middle of the night in Toronto. Plan when you'll be awake for the photo.
• Paying before the price and date are agreed.

How it works with presents.pk

Tell us who the gift is for, their city, what you'd like to send (an idea, a shop or a link) and your message for the card. We'll reply on WhatsApp with options, a price and a delivery date before you pay, and share the payment options once the gift is agreed. We deliver anywhere in Pakistan through trusted local riders and couriers, with your message written by hand on the card, and we keep you posted on WhatsApp until it arrives.

Tell us what to send →