The National Database and Registration Authority is set to launch online biometric verification through its PakID app for individual taxpayers, sole proprietors and overseas Pakistanis in the first week of September 2026. The new facility will allow eligible taxpayers to complete their required biometric verification remotely without visiting a physical verification centre, addressing a longstanding point of friction in the annual tax compliance process.
NADRA said the functionality has already been developed and will make the annual biometric verification process easier, particularly for taxpayers living abroad who have historically faced greater difficulty accessing physical verification centres. The authority is also working with the Federal Board of Revenue to have PakID biometric verification formally recognized as an alternative to the existing e-Sahulat based verification process, which would give taxpayers an additional digital option for completing their biometric requirement once approved.
The development follows concerns raised by the Faisalabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry over difficulties faced by individual taxpayers and sole proprietors in completing annual biometric verification, with overseas Pakistanis identified as a group facing particular challenges under the existing process. NADRA said the new facility would enable eligible users to complete biometric verification from anywhere in the world, aligning with the authority’s broader push toward multi biometric verification options that has also seen facial and iris scans formally recognized as valid identifiers under revised national identity card rules.
The authority said the initiative is aimed at simplifying taxpayer compliance and supporting the government’s digitalization and ease of doing business agenda. However, NADRA has described the first week of September launch as only tentative, since formal approval by FBR to recognize PakID as an alternative verification channel is still being pursued, meaning the exact rollout timeline remains contingent on that regulatory sign off.
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