A Game-Changer for National ID Registration in Pakistan!
Pakistan is taking a monumental step towards ensuring every single citizen has access to a national identity card. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has just introduced a crucial temporary facility, effective until December 31st, allowing citizens to obtain Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) without the previously mandatory computerized birth certificate. This is a game-changer, especially for the remaining 1.7 percent of the adult population, particularly women, who have long been excluded due to a lack of proper birth records.
Breaking Down Barriers: The New CNIC Registration Path
For years, the requirement of a computerized birth certificate stood as a significant barrier, particularly in districts where civil birth records were weak or non-existent. A decade-long review, involving the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the Election Commission, and national commissions on women and child rights, clearly identified this as a major hurdle to achieving universal identity coverage.
Responding to this challenge, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi directed NADRA to find a lawful solution. The Authority Board has now approved a streamlined process that prioritizes inclusion while maintaining robust security measures.
Simplified, Yet Secure: Who Can Apply & How?
While the birth certificate requirement has been eased, applicants will still undergo strict verification, including biometric confirmation from close family members. Here’s a breakdown of the new requirements:
- Married Women (18 and above): Must present a valid marriage certificate, one parent’s computerized identity card, their husband’s identity card, and undergo biometric verification by both the parent and the husband.
- Unmarried Women (18 and above): Required to provide a parent’s computerized identity card along with biometric verification from that parent.
- Men (24 and above): Must demonstrate that at least one parent holds a computerized identity card and that at least one sibling is registered, in addition to completing biometric verification with one parent.
The outcome of this process will be the issuance of non-smart CNICs free of charge, with parentage, date of birth, and place of birth permanently fixed after registration. This ensures that even those without prior documentation can establish their foundational identity securely.
NADRA’s Digital Leap: Beyond Registration
This initiative isn’t a standalone effort but part of NADRA’s broader vision for a digitally empowered Pakistan. Their 2025 annual performance report highlights near-universal coverage, with a staggering 227 million citizens registered – 52 percent men and 48 percent women. While 31.9 million births registered to union councils are yet to be added to NADRA’s central database, the progress is undeniable.
NADRA’s expanding biometric database is a testament to its technological prowess, containing facial records of 170 million people, iris scans of seven million, and almost 1.64 billion fingerprints. In 2025 alone, a remarkable 445 million biometric verifications were processed. Female registration increased by eight percent, and child registration surged by 11 percent, significantly supported by the rollout of biometric child certificates for children as young as three.
The authority has also dramatically expanded its physical and digital reach, boasting 938 registration centers, 231 mobile vans (including 33 satellite-equipped units for remote areas), and six overseas counters. The popular Pak ID mobile app has been downloaded over 12 million times and now efficiently handles 15 percent of NADRA’s workload, reducing reliance on physical centers. Furthermore, NADRA launched “Nishan Pakistan,” a secure digital verification portal that empowers banks, telecoms, and financial institutions to authenticate identities online.
What This Means for Pakistan
This initiative, a key component of the Digital Economy Enhancement Project, promises to accelerate service delivery, reduce paperwork, and align perfectly with Pakistan’s vision of technology-driven public services. By addressing the birth certificate bottleneck and leveraging its robust digital infrastructure, NADRA is taking a decisive step towards achieving complete national identity coverage and empowering every citizen, especially women and children in underserved regions, to participate fully in Pakistan’s digital future.
Source: Original Article
