How to Renew an Expired CNIC, and What You Get Now
Renewal costs Rs 400 on the normal track and takes 15 days. Since 14 August the card you get back is the new QR code one, not the chip card.
Renewing an expired CNIC costs Rs 400 and takes 15 days on the normal track.
That much has been true for a while. What changed four days ago is the card you get back.
What renewal costs
From NADRA's own fee schedule, read on 18 August 2026.
| Category | Fee | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Rs 400 | 15 days |
| Urgent | Rs 1,150 | 12 days |
| Executive | Rs 2,150 | 6 days |
Look at what the money actually buys, because the middle tier is poor value.
Urgent costs Rs 750 more than normal and saves three days. Executive costs Rs 1,750 more and saves nine. If you genuinely need the card quickly, executive is the one that changes your situation. Urgent mostly is not worth it.
One timing detail that catches people out: the clock starts when the fee is paid, not when you fill in the form or join the queue. Pay late in the day and count from that payment.
These are CNIC fees. The Smart NIC has its own separate and dearer list, and we set out every NADRA fee side by side in the full fee guide.
The card you get back changed on 14 August
NADRA has started issuing a new chipless National Identity Card built around a secure QR code. Issuance began on 14 August 2026, after federal government approval on 23 February 2026.
It is manufactured in Pakistan, by the Pakistan Security Printing Corporation in Karachi, which is the point of the change. The imported microchip is gone.
The rollout is in phases:
- From 14 August 2026, the QR card replaces the standard National Identity Card only.
- From January 2027, it extends to all categories, including NICOP and Juvenile Cards.
- In a final phase, the Pakistan Origin Card moves to the same chipless format.
So if you are renewing a standard CNIC today, this is what you will be issued.
If your card has not expired, you do not need to do anything. NADRA has confirmed that all identity cards already issued remain valid until their printed expiry dates. There is no recall and no deadline to swap.
What is actually on the new card
The QR code carries cardholder information and the cardholder's photograph, and can be read on a smartphone through the Pak Identity app.
Beyond that, the card displays some things the old one did not:
- The family number.
- Symbols identifying persons with disabilities, senior citizens, organ donors, and citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
- Name and address in both Urdu and English.
NADRA says telecom operators, banks, hospitals, Pakistan Railways, police and other authorised institutions will be given software to read and verify the code.
There is a candid admission inside the announcement worth noting. The chip based Smart card was introduced about fourteen years ago, and NADRA says its chip functions could not be used as intended because the readers and supporting infrastructure were never available. A QR code works with a camera that everybody already owns. That is the reasoning, stated plainly by the authority itself.
Before you go to the centre
Renewal is done at a NADRA Registration Centre. A few things are worth settling first, because each one is a return trip if you get it wrong.
Check the expiry date on the card itself rather than working from memory. Some cards are issued for ten years and some for life, and people routinely misremember which they hold.
Decide the category before you reach the counter. The difference between Rs 400 and Rs 2,150 is a decision about how quickly you need it, and it is easier to make calmly than in a queue.
Check every spelling against your passport. Renewal reprints what NADRA holds. If a name or a date is wrong, renewal carries the error onto a fresh card, and correcting it afterwards is a modification, which is its own Rs 400 and its own fifteen days.
Take the exact fee and ask for a receipt showing the category you paid for. That receipt is what a dispute over a missed timeline rests on.
Note the tracking number before you leave. Progress can be followed afterwards, and we cover how in the CNIC tracking guide.
Renewal, modification and duplicate are not the same request
They cost the same, which leads people to treat them as interchangeable. They are not.
Renewal reissues a card that has expired, with the same details.
Modification changes what the record says, a spelling, an address, a marital status.
Duplicate replaces a card that is lost or damaged while the record itself is fine.
Asking for the wrong one gets you a card that does not solve your problem, and a second fee to fix it. If your card is both expired and wrong, say so at the counter, because that is a modification rather than a renewal.
What the number on the card encodes is explained in what every digit of your CNIC means, which is useful if you are checking a district code that looks wrong.
What we did not check
The fees and timelines here come from NADRA's published fee schedule, and the details of the new card from NADRA's own media release dated 14 August 2026. Both were read on 18 August 2026.
We have not listed what happens to your SIM, bank account or pension while a CNIC is expired. Those rules belong to the telecom regulator, the State Bank and individual institutions rather than to NADRA, they change, and we did not read them at source today. We would rather tell you we did not check than repeat something from memory on a page about a government process.
We did not renew a CNIC ourselves for this guide, so the section above is preparation rather than a walkthrough of screens we have not seen.
We also cannot confirm that every registration centre offers the executive category, or that the published timelines match the real queue. Those are NADRA's commitments, not our measurements.
Questions readers are asking
How much does it cost to renew an expired CNIC?
Rs 400 on the normal 15 day track, Rs 1,150 for urgent in 12 days, or Rs 2,150 for executive in 6 days.
How long does renewal take?
Fifteen days on the normal track. The timeline starts when the fee is paid rather than when the application is submitted.
Will I get the new QR code card?
Yes, if you are renewing a standard National Identity Card. The QR card replaced it from 14 August 2026.
Do I have to replace a card that has not expired?
No. NADRA says all identity cards already issued remain valid until their respective expiry dates.
When do NICOP and Juvenile cards change?
From January 2027, according to NADRA. The Pakistan Origin Card moves to the chipless format in a later phase.
My card is expired and a detail on it is wrong. What do I ask for?
A modification rather than a renewal. Renewal reprints the existing record, so an error would simply appear on the new card.
Is urgent service worth the extra fee?
Usually not. Urgent costs Rs 750 more than normal and saves three days. Executive costs Rs 1,750 more and saves nine.
About the author
Author
Fajr Riaz is a well-talented author at Pakera.pk with expertise in creative content creation/writing and storytelling. Fajr's strength lies in creating engaging articles, detailed guides, and straight narratives that connect with readers and give meaningful insights. With her accurate attention to detail and passion for writing, Fajr has established herself as a pivotal pillar at Pakera and is invaluable.
