Apply for BISP Kafaalat as a Transgender Person in Pakistan: CNIC and Survey Steps

A transgender person can apply for Benazir Kafaalat if she or he holds a NADRA CNIC that records the gender as transgender and completes the survey at a Benazir Registration Centre in the BISP Tehsil Office. BISP says the poverty score cut-off is relaxed for transgender applicants. Any successful survey qualifies the person to apply.

We read BISP's Benazir Kafaalat page on 14 October 2026. It sets out the policy in four sentences. This guide turns those sentences into a clear path: the CNIC, the survey, the NADRA check and the payment.

BISP's Board approved a policy to include transgender persons

BISP says its Board approved a policy for including transgender persons in cash assistance under Benazir Kafaalat. The policy sets three conditions: a CNIC showing transgender, a survey at a Benazir Registration Centre, and validation of the data by NADRA before payments start.

The page does not give the date of the Board decision. It describes the approval as "recent", and the page itself is undated, so we cannot say when the policy began.

BISP also lists a video about the inclusion of transgenders in Kafaalat on its homepage. We did not watch it, so we rely only on the written text.

The CNIC must record the gender as transgender

BISP says transgender applicants must obtain a CNIC from NADRA that clearly shows the gender as transgender. Without it, the survey cannot proceed under this policy. NADRA registration is the first step, and it comes before any visit to BISP.

Our guide on how a transgender person registers for a CNIC with NADRA sets out that process. Read it first if the CNIC is still missing or records another gender. We have not tested the BISP side with a changed CNIC, so ask the Tehsil Office how it treats a CNIC updated recently.

The survey at a Benazir Registration Centre is mandatory

BISP says the survey is mandatory and takes place at the Benazir Registration Centres in every BISP Tehsil Office. The survey enters your details in the National Socio-Economic Registry, or NSER, which BISP uses to find households for support.

BISP's registration leaflet describes the visit in general. You queue at the information desk, give your CNIC, and move to a data entry desk where an officer asks about household members, education, health, assets and income. Give a working mobile number, because the confirmation SMS comes from 8171.

1. Get a NADRA CNIC that records the gender as transgender.
2. Visit the Benazir Registration Centre at your BISP Tehsil Office with the CNIC.
3. Take the CNICs of household members and the B-Forms of children, if any.
4. Answer the survey questions truthfully and give an active mobile number.
5. Keep your token receipt and wait for the SMS from 8171.
6. Collect payment from the partner bank after NADRA validation.

No score cut-off applies if the survey succeeds

BISP says the cut-off restriction is relaxed. Every transgender person whose survey is conducted successfully is eligible to apply for inclusion. For other families, BISP's page sets the cut-off at 32, or 37 with a disabled member.

Note the wording. "Eligible to apply" is not the same as "guaranteed a payment". NADRA must still validate the data, and BISP then declares the person a beneficiary. The page gives no number of transgender beneficiaries. For how the score works in general, see the BISP Kafaalat cut-off score guide.

Payment comes through the partner bank after NADRA validation

After NADRA validates the data, BISP declares transgender applicants beneficiaries, and they can start receiving cash through BISP's partner banks. BISP names HBL for Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, and Bank Alfalah for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.

Payments go through a biometric check. The amount changes over time, and BISP's own pages disagree on it, as we explain in how much the BISP Kafaalat payment is. Punjab runs a separate scheme for the community, covered in the Masawaat programme in Punjab, which is not part of BISP.

If something goes wrong, BISP says to complain at the Tehsil Office or call the toll free helpline 0800-26477.

Common questions about transgender inclusion in BISP

Can a transgender person get BISP Kafaalat?

Yes, under a Board policy on BISP's Kafaalat page. The person needs a NADRA CNIC showing transgender and a successful survey at a Benazir Registration Centre. NADRA must validate the data before payment.

Do transgender applicants need a poverty score?

No. BISP says the cut-off is relaxed, so any successful survey makes the person eligible to apply. The page does not say whether a score is still calculated for records.

Where do I register for the survey?

Register at the Benazir Registration Centre inside the BISP Tehsil Office in your area. BISP says these centres exist in every tehsil. Ask whether the office has a priority counter.

Is there a fee to apply?

BISP's page does not mention a fee. NADRA charges may apply to a CNIC change, so check the NADRA fee list. Do not pay anyone who offers to speed up a BISP file.

Which bank pays transgender beneficiaries?

The same partner banks pay everyone. HBL pays in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. Bank Alfalah pays in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. A biometric check is part of the payment.

How do I complain if my application is refused?

Go to the BISP Tehsil Office, or call the toll free helpline 0800-26477. BISP says its grievance system links with partner banks for tracking. Keep your token and survey receipt.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 14 October 2026. The policy, the CNIC requirement, the relaxed cut-off, NADRA validation and the partner banks come from the Benazir Kafaalat page on bisp.gov.pk. The survey steps come from BISP's NSER registration leaflet. We did not find a policy date, a count of beneficiaries or a fee, and we have not tested the process at a Tehsil Office.