All About NADRA’s Smart Card and Its Benefits

IN THIS POST:
– What is Smart National Identity Card?
– Why Opt for a Smart ID Card?
– How Can You Get NADRA’s Smart Card?
– What to Do If You’ve Lost Your ID Card?

NADRA’s Smart Card is a chip-based National Identity Card or NIC that is now replacing the older ID cards. Here’s all you need to know about the Smart National Identity Card and why you should consider opting for it when you are renewing your National Identity Card.

What is Smart National Identity Card (SNIC)?

Launched in 2012, the SNIC is Pakistan’s first-ever electronic identity card. This upgraded card contains a metallic chip, similar to the ones present in your cell phone’s sim cards. The chip contains precious data and records related to your identity and offers several security features that can help prevent identity theft. It synchronises your identity data with your biometrics (fingerprints) to ensure complete encryption and safety of the records.

The chip-based National Identity Card can be used both online and offline for the purpose of identity verification, for voting during the elections, for the distribution of pension to the rightful owners, and for inclusion in other financial and social programmes and services. Being synced to your biometrics, applying for NADRA’s Smart Card also means that you will no longer need to carry your SNIC everywhere, as your thumbprints or fingerprints can easily help anyone in identifying you as long as they have a biometric device that is connected to NADRA’s central database and allows them access to identity verification data.

A CNIC or Computerised National Identity Card identifies you as a citizen of Pakistan and a variant of it is available for Overseas Pakistanis, which is called National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP). A smart version of the NICOP is also available now and is called Smart NICOP or SNICOP for short. Overseas Pakistanis can apply for a renewal of their NICOP to the SNICOP at the earliest using the application process, which will be explored in detail below.

Features of the SNIC/SNICOP

A SNIC/SNICOP will generally have the following details on the front side of the card:

• Individual’s name (English & Urdu)
• Father’s/Husband’s name (English & Urdu)
• Gender (M/F)
• Country of Stay
• Identity Number (13-digit long)
• Date of Birth (DDMMYY)
• Individual’s photo
• Date of Issue
• Date of Expiry
• Card owner’s Signature

At the back of the card, you will generally find:

• Individual’s present address
• Individual’s permanent address
• A QR Code
• Card’s serial number

Here are some of the core security features of NADRA’s Smart Card:

• Multi-layered card with security protocols for every layer
• A smart chip for data collection
• Two pictures, one on either side, for clear identification
• A unique barcode on every card
• A tracking ID on the back of the card

Benefits of a Smart ID

• Prevention of identity theft on lost or stolen cards
• Digitally encrypted database to secure your information
• Ease of confirming identity anywhere, at anytime

Process to Apply for NADRA’s Smart Card?

Pakistanis living in the country can easily apply for an ID card renewal at any of the NADRA centres but Overseas Pakistanis will no longer need to head to an embassy to do so. You can easily complete the process online via the Pak-Identity online portal and have the card delivered to your home address. Citizens living in Pakistan can also avail this facility from the comfort of their homes. Here’s all your need to know about the online SNIC application process.

Application Process

• Visit the Pak-Identity website
• Click on Apply Now/Login
• Register yourself for an account on the Pak-Identity web application by filling the form
• Make sure you provide a valid email address and mobile number for account verification
• Choose the relevant category to begin the application process
• Fill the application form online 
• Pay the requested fee for the application process via a Credit or Debit card.
• Recheck the submitted information before confirmation.
• Upload a recent photograph as well your supporting documents and fingerprints
• Await the given timeframe to receive the SNIC at your home

You can find payment guidelines, guidelines for photographs, guide for uploading documents, as well as guidelines to attach the fingerprint form on the official site.

Documents Required for NADRA’s Smart Card

You will need a number of documents to apply for a SNIC/SNICOP online or even at a NADRA Registration Centre (NRC). Use this convenient service to determine which documents are required for identity documentation. Simply choose your particular application type in each drop-down list to generate a comprehensive list of documents that will be required to process your particular application.

Time Duration

You can choose a Normal (31 days), Urgent (23 days), or Executive (7 days) timeframe for your particular application. Please note that NADRA’s Smart Card fees will vary as per your chosen timeframe. The more urgently you need the new ID card, the most it will cost you overall.

Fee Structure

You can learn more about the NADRA smart card application fee on their official site. Please note that home delivery charges must be paid for all online applications.

Procedure to Follow for Lost or Stolen SNIC

After the launch of the online SNIC application process, NADRA has removed the requirement of submitting a copy of a First Information Report (FIR) in order to obtain a duplicate ID card. If you are worried about the data within the chip-based National Identity Card and the possibility of identity theft, you should still file an FIR before using the application process given above to obtain a reprinted SNIC via the Pak-Identity online portal.

Download undertaking for a lost card and fill it as required to submit it during the reprinting process. Charges of reprinting a card after it is lost or stolen are also mentioned above under the ‘Duplicate’ category.

NADRA’s Smart Card is going to become the norm in times to come, so don’t wait for a time when it’ll become compulsory to upgrade to one. Take a family member along for biometric verification and head to the nearest NADRA office to opt for a SNIC today! Check out these video guidelines if you want to know more about applying online instead.

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*[Cover Image Credits: Official Website of NADRA]