Facial photographs and iris scans are now legally recognized as biometric identifiers for Pakistan’s national and digital identity system, complementing fingerprints with new modalities to avoid situations where identity verification is prevented. These situations arise from changes in the fingerprints of individuals over time due to medical conditions or manual labor, or from “the use of substandard or low-quality fingerprint readers,” NADRA says in an announcement.
The government has amended the country’s National Identity Card Rules to expand the definition of biometrics, and NADRA, under directives from Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control, has introduced technical specifications to enable contactless fingerprint scanning and facial recognition for biometric matching.
Contactless fingerprinting and face biometrics are available at NADRA registration centers and through the Pak ID mobile app. They are live for vehicle registration transfers in Islamabad and online passport applications, and will soon take effect for proof-of-life certificates from Federal Government pensions.
The new definition for biometrics was drafted in mid-2025 as the agency was updating the rules for Child Registration Certificates.
NADRA will begin issuing verification certificates based on face biometrics at its registration centers for those who are unable to complete fingerprint verification on January 20. The certificates are issued by NADRA for a fee of 20 Pakistani rupees (roughly US$0.07), and can then be submitted to institutions to satisfy identity verification requirements.
Certificates will identify the purpose of the facial verification, the probe photograph taken by NADRA for the verification and the reference image from the national database that it was matched to. They also include the bearer’s CNIC number, name, father’s name, a unique tracking ID and a QR code. Their validity will last for seven days.
Relying parties use information from the certificate, which can also be verified online through NADRA.
NADRA is calling on all public and private sector institutions using the national ID verification system to upgrade their hardware and software to enable the acceptance of the new verification method. After upgrading their systems to accept biometric verifications by NADRA, they are expected to install cameras into their existing KYC systems to allow face verification through NADRA at the point of service.
Article Topics
contactless biometrics | digital identity | face biometrics | identity verification | iris biometrics | NADRA | national ID | Pak ID | Pakistan