ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Wednesday launched a new chipless National Identity Card (NIC) built around a secure QR code, replacing the imported microchip used for the past 14 years.

The card has been manufactured domestically by the National Security Printing Company (NSPC) in Karachi in line with Nadra’s technical and security specifications, a statement issued by the authority on Friday said.

Instead of a chip, the card will carry a secure QR code that can be scanned and verified on a smartphone through Nadra’s Pak Identity (PakID) mobile application, it added.

The federal government approved the issuance of the new card on February 23 this year.

The code will contain the cardholder’s information and photograph.

According to Nadra, this will allow institutions to enter individuals’ names, addresses and other identity details more easily and consistently in their systems while reducing data entry errors.

The card will also display a family number and symbols to denote persons with disabilities, senior citizens, organ donors and citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The cardholder’s name and address will be printed in both Urdu and English, Nadra added.

The visible and covert security features of the card have been “updated to meet current requirements and align with domestic manufacturing capabilities”, the statement said.

Nadra said the chip-based Smart NIC introduced about 14 years ago could not be fully utilised as chip readers and supporting infrastructure were never widely available. The QR-based card addresses this gap, being verifiable through an ordinary smartphone or software connected to a camera, it said.

Telecom operators, banks, hospitals, the Pakistan Railways, police and other authorised institutions will also be provided with software to read and verify the QR code, Nadra said.

The rollout will be phased, with the QR code-based card replacing the standard CNIC from Friday, it said, adding that from January 2027, it will be issued for all categories, including NICs for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicops) and Juvenile Cards. In the final phase, the Pakistan Origin Card (POC) will also transition to the chipless format, according to the statement.

Nadra clarified that all previously issued identity cards would remain valid until their expiry dates.

In February, the government notified amendments to the National Identity Card Rules, 2002 and the Pakistan Origin Card Rules, 2002 to modernise the country’s identity document framework. Part of these reforms included the statutory introduction of the QR code — a scannable barcode containing horizontal and vertical lines, dots, and patterns — as a defined security and verification feature.

The amendments further authorised the use of a QR code or “any other technological feature”, in lieu of the current microchip, enabling Nadra to adopt evolving verification technologies without repeated rule amendments.