The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has launched a new national identity card that is manufactured in Pakistan and features a secure QR code instead of an imported microchip. This marks a significant move towards enhancing the country’s self-reliance in identity documentation.
Starting from August 14, the new card will be issued in phases, gradually replacing the current Smart National Identity Card. Eventually, this chip-free card will be extended to all categories of national identity documents.
Constructed from polycarbonate material, the card incorporates a QR code containing the cardholder’s photograph and essential identity details. This QR code enables authorized organizations to verify identities using any standard smartphone. Verification can also be performed through NADRA’s Pak Identity mobile application by scanning the QR code on the card.
Authorities anticipate that this system will minimize errors in recording and verifying critical personal information such as names and addresses. Various sectors including telecom operators, banks, hospitals, Pakistan Railways, and police will receive software to authenticate identity cards via the QR code.
The card will also feature the cardholder’s family number along with symbols indicating persons with disabilities, senior citizens, organ donors, and residents of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Names and addresses will be printed bilingually in Urdu and English.
In a significant development, from January 2027 onward, the QR code-based card will be issued for all national identity documents, including the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) and Juvenile Cards. The Pakistan Origin Card (POC) will transition to this chip-free format in the final phase.
NADRA has clarified that existing identity cards will remain valid until their expiry dates, so immediate replacement is not mandatory for current cardholders. This initiative represents a major upgrade in Pakistan’s identity verification infrastructure by shifting away from reliance on imported microchips toward a fully locally manufactured QR code system.
