Pakistan has a Digital ID system managed by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). The primary component of this system is the Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC), which is digitally encoded with biometric data, including fingerprints and photographs. NADRA has integrated advanced technology into the ID system, allowing for digital verification of personal identity through its National Database.
Pakistan’s digital ID, launched in March 2025, is a ‘dematerialized digital identity card’, meaning physical national ID cards will become obsolete.[9]The digital ID system serves as the main backbone for the ongoing development of Pakistan’s DPI.[10]The system allows citizens to store their identification documents on their smartphones through the Pak ID mobile app and involves collection of biometric data, including an iris scan, fingerprints, and a high-resolution photograph for facial recognition.[11] With Pakistan’s new ‘all-in-one’ digital ID kit, this biometric data is collected by “a single portable unit” to streamline the enrollment process.The kit is also equipped with GPS technology and mobile internet connection, packed inside a heavy duty case that protects the kit in inclement weather when in rural areas. [13] NADRA has maintained that it has provided centralized digital IDs[14] (CNICs) to approximately 96% of the population to around 120 million adults.[15] The National Digital Commission (NDC) oversees the creation of this comprehensive digital identity system, with NADRA maintaining the biometric database of all individuals.[16] The initiative draws inspiration from successful digital models in other countries, such as India’s Aadhaar system, the UAE and Estonia.[17]
CNIC not just proves identity, but is also used to verify citizenship of individuals.[18] The digital ID of Pakistan uses kinship and places individuals within a family tree to constitute registration.[19] While not mandatory in law, CNIC is de facto mandatory in Pakistan. This is because an individual without a CNIC in Pakistan is ineligible to access public services which include banking transactions, casting their vote, obtaining a passport, driving license, train tickets, etc.[20] Sources claim that marginalised populations like transgender persons, women, migrant workers, undocumented persons (including stateless populations) are excluded from the CNIC.[21] It has been noted that the exclusion faced by communities such as the Bihari community, Bengali-origin residents, and other long-term migrants due to lack of documentation have been due to various factors, including design limitations.[22] These include the mandatory requirement of associating each ID card to the father/husband, an absence of which would raise significant barriers for women, transgender and other non-binary persons, children, including foundlings outside of institutional care, to access CNICs.[23] Furthermore, there is a strong linkage between CNIC and citizenship, with the government blocking IDs, without due process, leaving those individuals without access to their fundamental rights. The reasons to block IDs could include a question on the individual’s citizenship status or a suspicion of the status of an individual in the family tree.[25] The unblocking of CNIC involves undertaking a re-verification process which has been shown to span as long as five years in some cases.[26]
An accompanying digital verification system is planned to be launched in August 2025 as a part of Pakistan’s Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP), supported by the World Bank, which aims to bolster coordination of digital services across the country.[27] The World Bank has supported the project with $78 million in funding for development and reforms of legal frameworks, technical and advisory assistance. Civil society and digital rights advocates were notably not included in meaningful consultations during the planning and design of Pakistan’s digital ID system.[29]
Stateless persons are not eligible to access CNICs,[30] However, until recently, they were eligible to receive other forms of identification, such the Alien Registration Card (ARC). Yet, the ARC card and other forms of biometric identities do not grant the same privileges as the CNIC. Specifically, the ARC Card grants holders with the following – permission to stay in Pakistan, ability to work in the Private Sector if they have NARA cards and a work permit, a bank account, intercity travel in non-restricted areas, driving license, and exemption from the Foreigner Act 1946. [31]
To increase access to registration for those in rural areas, where it is difficult to access NADRA registration centers, NADRA utilizes hundreds of Mobile Registration Vans which collect biometric data and register individuals locally.[32] NADRA has also developed ‘Rugged Enrollment Kits’, which are portable devices that are designed to support enrollment in rural and hard to reach areas.[33] The framework for Digital ID in Pakistan, particularly with the CNIC and the ongoing digitisation initiatives, has been primarily formulated and implemented by the NADRA. NADRA is also supported by NADRA Technologies Limited (NTL), a private, for-profit arm of the public government entity.[34] NTL has exported some of Pakistan’s digital ID technologies to other countries, including Sudan and Turkey.[35] NTL has also been involved in renovating election systems, such as Fiji’s election management system.[36] The public arm of NADRA has also collaborated with other governments to implement digital ID technologies in other countries, such as sending 300 Rugged Enrollment Kits to Somalia in support of their digital ID system rollout as well as assisting the country in setting up their digital ID system.[37]
