ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has launched a new chipless National Identity Card (NIC) built around a secure QR code, replacing the imported microchip used for the past over 14 years.
The card has been developed domestically by the National Security Printing Company (NSPC) in Karachi in line with Nadra’s technical and security specifications, a NADRA statement said on Friday.
Instead of a chip, the card will carry a secure QR code that can be scanned and verified on a smartphone through Nadra’s Pak Identity (PakID) mobile application, it added.
The federal government had approved the issuance of the new card on February 23 this year.
The code will contain information about the cardholder including photograph.
According to NADRA, this will allow institutions to enter individuals’ names, addresses and other identity details more easily and consistently in their systems while curbing data entry errors.
The card will also display a family number and symbols to denote persons with disabilities, senior citizens, organ donors and citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The cardholder’s name and address will be printed in both Urdu and English, Nadra added.
The visible and covert security features of the card have been “updated to meet current requirements and align with domestic manufacturing capabilities”, the statement said.
According to NADRA, the chip-based CNIC introduced about 14 years ago could not be fully utilized, as chip readers and supporting infrastructure were never widely available.
The QR-based card addresses this gap, being verifiable through an ordinary smartphone or software connected to a camera, NADRA said.
Telecom operators, banks, hospitals, the Pakistan Railways, police and other authorised institutions will also be provided with software to read and verify the QR code, Nadra said.
The rollout will be in phases, with the QR code-based card replacing the standard CNIC from Friday, NADRA said, adding that from January 2027, it will be issued for all categories, including NICs for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicops) and Juvenile Cards.
In the final phase, the Pakistan Origin Card (POC) will also be converted to the chipless format, according to the statement.
Previously issued identity cards
The authority clarified that all previously issued identity cards would remain valid until their expiry dates.
In February, the federal government notified amendments to the National Identity Card Rules, 2002 and the Pakistan Origin Card Rules, 2002 to modernise the country’s identity document framework.
