The National Database and Registration Authority has introduced a new chipless National Identity Card built around a secure QR code, replacing the imported microchip that has been in use for more than a decade. The redesigned card has been manufactured domestically by the National Security Printing Company in Karachi, in line with NADRA’s technical and security specifications, marking a shift toward local production capability while reducing the country’s dependence on foreign sourced chip components. The move is being positioned as a step toward improving secure digital verification while cutting reliance on imported hardware in one of Pakistan’s largest citizen facing identity systems.
The federal government approved the issuance of the new card on 23 February 2026, formally replacing the embedded microchip with a scannable QR code that can be read and verified through a smartphone using the Pak Identity mobile application. The QR code carries the cardholder’s relevant identity information along with their photograph, which is expected to help institutions capture names, addresses and other required details more accurately within their own computerized systems while reducing the data entry errors commonly associated with manual verification processes. Alongside the QR code, the new card will also display the holder’s family number and specific symbols identifying persons with disabilities, senior citizens, organ donors and citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with names and addresses appearing in both Urdu and English.
NADRA first introduced the chip based Smart National Identity Card roughly fourteen years ago, but the chip enabled verification features were rarely used in practice because chip readers and the broader supporting infrastructure needed to utilise them were never widely deployed across the country. The new QR code based card is intended to resolve that longstanding gap by allowing verification through an ordinary smartphone camera or through dedicated software connected to a standard camera, removing the need for specialised chip reading hardware. To support this transition, telecom operators, banks, hospitals, Pakistan Railways, police departments and other authorized institutions will be provided with software designed to read and verify the QR code embedded on each card.
The rollout of the new identity card is being carried out in phases rather than all at once. The first phase began on 14 August 2026 and applies specifically to the standard National Identity Card. Starting from January 2027, the QR code format will extend to all remaining categories, including the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis and Juvenile Cards, while the Pakistan Origin Card will transition to the chipless format in the final phase of the rollout. NADRA has confirmed that all identity cards already issued under the previous chip based system will remain valid and usable until their respective expiry dates, meaning citizens will not be required to replace existing cards immediately.
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