ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has launched a temporary, time-bound facility allowing citizens to obtain a Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) for the first time without a birth certificate.
The facility, available until 31 December 2026, is for first-time applicants and aims to make registration easier while ensuring strict identity verification.
“Under this framework, Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) may be issued, subject to strict verification conditions, where the Local Government issued computerised birth certificate is not available,” said a press release issued by NADRA on Sunday.
As Pakistan has achieved approximately 98.3 percent adult registration in its National Identity System, a residual gap of nearly 1.7 percent remains.
This gap is more among females and, for both genders, in specific districts with weaker civil documentation coverage.
In most such cases, the absence of a computerised birth certificate from Local Government, the primary feeder document for first-time registration, has been the principal impediment.
During the preparation of its Annual Report 2025, NADRA undertook a detailed ten-year data analysis in coordination with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the Election Commission of Pakistan, the National Commission on the Status of Women, the National Commission for Child Welfare and Development, and other stakeholders.
The exercise examined demographic trends, district-level variations, and gender differentials to identify the causes of the residual gap and formulate corrective measures.
Upon presentation of these findings, the Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control directed the introduction of a structured and legally grounded facilitation mechanism, which was subsequently approved by the NADRA Authority Board.
For a married woman aged eighteen (18) years or above, submission of a valid Local Government–issued Marriage Certificate is mandatory, along with a valid CNIC or NICOP (National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis) of either parent and a valid CNIC or NICOP of the husband.
Biometric verification of one parent and the husband shall also be required. For an unmarried female aged eighteen (18) years or above, the requirement relating to the husband shall not apply. However, a valid CNIC or NICOP of either parent and biometric verification of one parent shall be mandatory.
For a male applicant above twenty-four (24) years of age, issuance of CNIC shall be permitted only where either parent possesses a valid CNIC or NICOP and at least one sibling also holds a valid CNIC or NICOP.
Biometric verification of one parent shall be compulsory in such cases.
In circumstances where both parents or the husband are deceased but their records exist within the National Database and Registration Authority database, the authorised officer may grant an exemption from biometric verification, subject to successful record-based linkage and satisfactory verification checks.
This facilitation remains strictly time-bound and subject to rigorous verification.
Applicants are advised that once their details— including parentage, date of birth, and place of birth — are registered in the National Identity System, such information shall be irrevocable and non-changeable.
Citizens are therefore strongly encouraged to ensure the accuracy of all particulars at the time of registration.
Eligible individuals are encouraged to visit their nearest NADRA Registration Centre to avail themselves of this limited-time facilitation.
