Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority has begun issuing a domestically manufactured national identity card that uses a secure QR code instead of an embedded chip for smartphone-based verification.
The first phase started on August 14 and applies to the standard chipless national ID card previously produced on Teslin material. The replacement is a polycarbonate credential manufactured in Karachi by the National Security Printing Company according to NADRA’s technical and security specifications.
The QR code stores the cardholder’s basic identity details and photograph. It can be read and verified through NADRA’s PakID mobile application, allowing organizations to use ordinary smartphones rather than dedicated chip readers.
NADRA plans to provide specialized verification software to authorized organizations including banks, telecommunications operators, hospitals, Pakistan Railways and law enforcement agencies. The software is intended to confirm card data and status against the authority’s identity infrastructure.
The new design also includes updated visual and hidden security features. Names and addresses appear in Urdu and English, while symbols identify categories including senior citizens, organ donors, people with disabilities and residents of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The federal government established the legal basis for QR-enabled identity documents in February through amendments to the National Identity Card Rules and Pakistan Origin Card Rules. The changes authorize a QR code or another technological feature in place of a microchip and connect verification with Pakistan’s National Data Exchange Layer.
The physical credential complements the digital ID storage and face verification available through PakID. The app gives citizens remote access to identity services and now provides the scanning channel for the new card.
NADRA has also been consolidating institutional identity checks through its Nishan Pakistan verification platform. The QR card gives that digital verification architecture a standardized physical credential manufactured inside Pakistan.
The rollout will proceed in stages. NADRA plans to extend the QR format to remaining card categories, including the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis and juvenile cards, beginning in January 2027. The Pakistan Origin Card is scheduled to migrate in a later phase.
Previously issued identity cards will remain valid until their printed expiration dates, so current holders are not required to replace unexpired credentials as the new format enters circulation.
Sources: Dunya News, NADRA
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By Cass Kennedy
