How to Renew an Expired CNIC: Fee, Papers and the QR Card

We read NADRA's CNIC page and fee structure, and Punjab's e-Khidmat CNIC page, on 8 November 2026. The fees below are NADRA's own.

CNIC renewal fees and times

Urgent costs Rs 750 more than normal and saves three days. Executive costs Rs 1,750 more and saves nine. If you need the card fast, executive is the tier that changes your situation.

The clock starts when the fee is paid, not when you join the queue. Punjab's e-Khidmat page charges the same fees but gives maximum delivery times of 45 days normal, 30 urgent and 12 executive, so plan for longer if you apply there. All NADRA fees are side by side in the NADRA fee structure.

Apply within one month of expiry

NADRA's CNIC page quotes Rule 12 of the NADRA (NIC) Rules 2002: a citizen "shall at any time but not later than one month after the date of expiry" apply for renewal. "At any time" means you can also renew before the card expires. Banks check CNIC validity, so do not wait. If your bank has already blocked your account, the steps are in unblocking a bank account over an expired CNIC.

Renew at a NADRA centre in eight steps

NADRA lists one required document for renewal: your CNIC number. The centre steps on its page are:

1. Take a Queue Matic token.
2. Wait for your turn at the One Window Counter.
3. Get your token issued.
4. Have your photograph and fingerprints taken.
5. Interview with the Officer in Charge.
6. Approval of the application by the Officer in Charge.
7. Pay the fee.
8. Collect the printed CNIC when the processing time for your category ends.

In the PakID app, the steps are to sign in, choose the renewal, fill in your details, upload documents, visit a centre if biometrics are needed, and track the application.

At a Punjab e-Khidmat Markaz, the page asks for the expired CNIC and a blood relative as a witness in person, or an affidavit attested by a gazetted officer. If you also want a correction, bring the document that proves it. For a change of marital status, bring the nikah nama and your husband as a witness. The Punjab steps are in getting or renewing a CNIC at e-Khidmat.

Check these before you go

• The expiry date on the card itself. NADRA's fee page lists 10 years for a CNIC.
• Every spelling against your passport. Renewal reprints what NADRA holds. A wrong name or date comes back on the new card.
• The category you want. Decide calmly, not in the queue.
• The exact fee and a receipt showing the category paid.
• The tracking number, so you can follow it in the CNIC tracking guide.

Renewal, modification and duplicate are different requests

They cost the same, so people treat them as the same. They are not.

• Renewal reissues an expired card with the same details.
• Modification changes the record: a spelling, address or marital status. NADRA says a name change starts with the birth certificate, or a name change deed if no birth record exists.
• Duplicate replaces a lost or damaged card when the record is fine.

If your card is both expired and wrong, ask for renewal with correction at the counter. A date of birth change has its own higher fee, from Rs 1,000, set out in changing your date of birth on a CNIC.

The card you get back is the QR code CNIC

NADRA's CNIC page now lists the "CNIC with QR-code" as a card type, beside the older Teslin card and the Smart CNIC. NADRA's media release of 14 August 2026, which we read on 18 August 2026, said:

• The chipless QR card replaces the standard card from 14 August 2026, and other categories, including NICOP and Juvenile Cards, follow from January 2027.
• It is made in Pakistan by the Pakistan Security Printing Corporation.
• The QR code holds the cardholder's details and photograph and can be read with the PakID app.
• The card shows the family number, symbols for persons with disabilities, senior citizens and organ donors, and the name and address in Urdu and English.
• Cards already issued stay valid until their printed expiry date. There is no recall.

What each part of the 13 digit number means is in what every digit of your CNIC means. If a family member has died, their card is not renewed but cancelled, free, as set out in cancelling a CNIC after a death.

Questions readers are asking

How much does it cost to renew an expired CNIC?

Rs 400 normal in 15 days, Rs 1,150 urgent in 12 days, or Rs 2,150 executive in 6 days. A Smart NIC renewal costs Rs 750, Rs 1,500 or Rs 2,500.

Is there a deadline to renew?

NADRA quotes Rule 12: apply not later than one month after the expiry date.

What documents do I need?

NADRA lists only your CNIC number. At a Punjab e-Khidmat Markaz, bring the expired CNIC and a blood relative as witness, or a gazetted officer's attested affidavit.

Can I renew my CNIC online?

You can start in the PakID app. A centre visit may still be needed for photograph and fingerprints.

Will I get the new QR code card?

Yes, if you are renewing a standard CNIC. NADRA started issuing it on 14 August 2026.

Do I have to replace a card that has not expired?

No. NADRA says cards already issued remain valid until their expiry dates.

My card is expired and a detail is wrong. What do I ask for?

Renewal with correction, and bring the document that proves the correct detail. Plain renewal would reprint the error.

How we verified this

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

Last checked 8 November 2026. We read NADRA's CNIC page, including its renewal section and FAQ, the NADRA fee structure, and the Punjab e-Khidmat CNIC page. The QR card details are from NADRA's media release of 14 August 2026, read on 18 August 2026.