The National Database and Registration Authority on Wednesday launched a new chipless National Identity Card built around a secure QR code, replacing the imported microchip used for the past 14 years.
The card has been manufactured domestically by the National Security Printing Company in Karachi, in line with Nadra’s technical and security specifications, according to a statement issued by the authority on Friday. Instead of a chip, the card carries a secure QR code that can be scanned and verified via smartphone through Nadra’s Pak Identity (PakID) mobile application. The federal government approved issuance of the new card on February 23 this year.
The QR code will contain the cardholder’s information and photograph. According to Nadra, this will allow institutions to enter individuals’ names, addresses, and other identity details more easily and consistently into their systems, while reducing data entry errors. The card will also display a family number and symbols denoting persons with disabilities, senior citizens, organ donors, and citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with the cardholder’s name and address printed in both Urdu and English.
Nadra said the card’s visible and covert security features have been “updated to meet current requirements and align with domestic manufacturing capabilities.” The authority noted that the chip-based Smart NIC introduced roughly 14 years ago could never be fully utilised, since chip readers and supporting infrastructure never became widely available. The QR-based card addresses that gap, being verifiable through an ordinary smartphone or software connected to a camera. 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.
The rollout will happen in phases. The QR code-based card began replacing the standard CNIC from Friday, with issuance extending to all categories, including NICs for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) and Juvenile Cards, from January 2027. In the final phase, the Pakistan Origin Card will also transition to the chipless format. Nadra clarified that all previously issued identity cards will remain valid until their existing expiry dates.
