Pakistan upholds legal acceptance of digital ID with official guidance

Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) is clamping down on refusals of the digital ID.

The authority has observed that some offices and service providers continue to insist on a physical Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) or its photocopy.

These places apparently refuse to accept the digital ID or the digitalized version of the CNIC, NICOP, or POC available through NADRA’s official digital identity platform Pak ID.

NADRA has clarified that this practice goes against the legal framework governing identity credentials in Pakistan. Under the National Database and Registration Authority Ordinance 2000, the Authority is mandated to maintain the national citizen database and issue identity credentials.

Acting under this mandate, the NADRA Digital Identity Regulations 2025 formally grant digital identity credentials full legal recognition. Regulations 9 and 10 cover legal recognition of digital identity credentials and acceptance of the same, respectively.

These regulations make two points. First, digital identity credentials issued or authorized by NADRA carry the same legal status, validity, and evidential value as physical credentials.

Second, all public authorities, regulated entities, and organizations that require proof of identity are legally obliged to accept NADRA‑issued digital identity credentials as valid identification.

NADRA also emphasized that digital credentials reduce the need for photocopies of CNICs, strengthening the protection of citizens’ personal data and helping to prevent misuse of identity information.

Government departments, public authorities, financial institutions, telecom operators, and other service providers have been advised to ensure full compliance with these legal requirements and to issue appropriate instructions to their field offices.

Citizens who encounter refusal to accept the digital CNIC may lodge complaints through NADRA’s official channels so that corrective action can be taken.

The Pakistan government granted amendments to the National Identity Card Rules 2002 and the Pakistan Origin Card Rules 2002 last month that introduce QR-based verification, stronger anti-fraud controls and greater biometric recognition into the country’s identity framework.

The amendments also allow NADRA to adopt “any other technological feature” in place of the current microchip, according to the authority, giving it the leeway to integrate future authentication technologies without additional legal revisions.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  NADRA  |  Pak ID  |  Pakistan