Pakistan switches digital ID applications from website to mobile app

Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) is closing down its public service website and launching a mobile app to replace it.

All services previously offered from the Pak ID website, including applications for national digital identity cards, NICOP, POC, B-Form and FRC, will be offered through the Pak ID Mobile App.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the reasons for the change include the launch of fake websites by fraudulent actors to obtain sensitive personal information from Pakistanis, and challenges using the website experienced by citizens, and particularly those overseas, The Express Tribune reports. Sources also told the Tribune that some police in the country had been misusing a real-time identity verification function offered by NADRA, Verisys.

A pop-up notice on NADRA’s homepage announces the closure and directs visitors to download the Pak ID Mobile App from the Apple App Store or Google Play. A link is also provided for checking the status of applications already made through the Pak ID website.

NADRA is also launching regional service centers in Azad Jammu, Kashmir, Gwadar, and Gilgit-Baltistan, with operations beginning March 31. The organization also plans to open offices in all 19 tehsils (local subdistricts) that do not yet have one by the same date. Ten passport processing counters open 24 hours have been opened in Karachi, as well, and more locations will be opened elsewhere.

Overall, the civil registration and digital ID agency hopes to improve communication with citizens, improve service access for remote areas and address issues more quickly through the changes.

Pakistan is in the midst of overhauling the legislative foundation for its ID system with the Digital Nation Pakistan law and the National Registration and Biometric Policy Framework (NRBPF).

Article Topics

civil registration  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  Digital Pakistan  |  mobile app  |  NADRA  |  Pak ID  |  Pakistan