Get a Duplicate for a Lost National Savings Certificate in Pakistan
Lost a National Savings certificate? Apply at the issuing centre with an FIR above Rs 10,000 and an indemnity bond, then wait a month for the duplicate. Steps.
If you lose a National Savings certificate, apply in person at the centre that issued it. Above Rs 10,000 you need a police FIR or roznamcha report and an indemnity bond with a surety. CDNS will not issue the duplicate until one month after your application, and it can then be cashed only at that centre.
We read the full lost certificate procedure in the Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) FAQs, its indemnity bond format and rules 62 to 64 of the Defence Savings Certificates Rules 1966. The process is long and paper heavy. It is also the only way to get your money back, so it pays to start it the week you notice the loss.
Report the loss at the issuing centre first
Go in person to the National Savings Centre that issued the certificate and hand in a written application. Give the certificate details and explain how it was lost. Joint holders must both sign. The centre records the loss straight away, which helps stop anyone else cashing it.
The CDNS FAQ says the application is diarised the moment it is received. Staff then mark the loss in red ink on your original purchase form and in the centre's register of lost certificates. From that point, the centre checks that the certificate has not already been cashed or transferred to another office.
Do this before anything else. CDNS rules say the office of issue is not responsible if someone else gets hold of a certificate and cashes it by fraud. Speed is your only protection.
If you no longer remember the registration number, take whatever you have: the profit coupon book, an old Zakat or tax deduction receipt, or a bank statement showing profit. The centre matches your details against its own record.
Documents CDNS asks for
You need an attested CNIC copy, a police FIR or roznamcha report if the certificates are worth more than Rs 10,000, past Zakat and tax receipts, any unused profit coupons, a fee receipt and an indemnity bond with one approved surety. The controlling officer can ask for more.
| Document | When needed |
|---|---|
| Application with certificate details and how it was lost | Always, signed by all holders |
| Attested CNIC copy | Always |
| Certified copy of FIR or roznamcha report | Certificates worth more than Rs 10,000 |
| Previous Zakat and withholding tax receipts | If any were issued |
| Copy of unused profit coupons | If a coupon book was issued |
| Copy of faith and fiqh declaration | If you gave one earlier |
| Fee receipt for the duplicate | Always |
| Indemnity bond with one surety and two witnesses | Always |
A roznamcha report is the daily diary entry at a police station. It suits a plain loss where no crime is alleged. CDNS may have the FIR or report verified with the police station, so make sure the certificate numbers in it are right. You can confirm an FIR's details through the online FIR check in your province.
The indemnity bond needs a surety and a magistrate's signature
The indemnity bond goes on stamp paper of the right value, with one approved surety and two witnesses. A notary public or oath commissioner attests it, and a first class magistrate countersigns it. For certificates up to Rs 1 million, a grade 17 government officer can stand surety.
The CDNS FAQ links to an indemnity bond format, but when we opened that link on 3 October 2026 it returned a "not found" error. Ask the centre for its printed format instead. A bank guarantee can replace the surety. For higher values, the surety's financial standing may be checked.
The officer who stands surety can be from the federal or a provincial government, AJK, the armed forces, or a semi-government or autonomous body, the FAQ says. Ask a relative or colleague early.
You can buy the stamp paper as an e-stamp paper. In Punjab, the steps to attest an affidavit through an oath commissioner work the same way for the bond.
Get the duplicate in six steps
After the papers are in, the centre checks them and sends the case to the controlling officer at the regional directorate. You receive a registered letter asking you to return after one month. Once the officer approves, the centre issues a duplicate with a new profit coupon book.
- Apply in person at the issuing centre and get the application diarised.
- Hand in the documents in the table, including the FIR or roznamcha report and the indemnity bond.
- Wait for the registered letter. The centre acknowledges your application by registered post to the address on your original form.
- Let the regional directorate decide. The controlling officer can make further checks, then sends the authority to the centre and a copy to you.
- Return after one month and fill in a fresh purchase application marked "in lieu of lost certificate".
- Collect the duplicate and a new profit coupon book under the new registration number.
The rules are firm on the wait: a duplicate "shall not be issued before the expiry of one month from the date of the application". It can take longer if the controlling officer makes further checks.
Limits on a duplicate certificate
A duplicate keeps the original date of issue and says "Duplicate issued in lieu of" the lost registration on its face. It can be cashed only at the office of issue, and payment is made only by account payee crossed government cheque. Bearer Special Savings Certificates cannot be duplicated at all.
Rule 63 of the Defence Savings Certificates Rules keeps the original issue date, so the certificate's age still counts from the first purchase. The duplicate is not a fresh investment.
The fee is small. Rule 64 sets it at Rs 1 for each Rs 500 or Rs 1,000 certificate and Rs 5 for each certificate from Rs 5,000 to Rs 100,000, and says it is never refunded. That is the version of the rules CDNS publishes, amended to May 2021. Pay whatever the centre's current receipt shows.
If you plan to cash the certificates once the duplicate arrives, the current National Savings profit rates help you decide whether to keep them instead.
Common questions
Do I need an FIR for a lost National Savings certificate?
Only if the certificates are worth more than Rs 10,000. Then you need a certified copy of an FIR or a roznamcha report.
How long does a duplicate National Savings certificate take?
At least one month from your application. The rules bar issue before that, and further checks by the controlling officer can add time.
Can I apply at any National Savings Centre?
Apply at the office of issue. The duplicate is also encashable only there.
Who can stand surety for the indemnity bond?
One approved surety. For certificates up to Rs 1 million, a government or armed forces officer of grade 17 or above can stand surety. A bank guarantee also works.
Can a lost bearer certificate be replaced?
No. CDNS says there is a bar on issuing duplicates of bearer Special Savings Certificates.
What if the holder has died and the certificate is lost?
The nominee or heir can apply. Rule 62 lets the investor, nominee or heir seek a replacement.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked at about 3 am PKT on 3 October 2026. We read the lost or stolen certificate procedure in the CDNS FAQs and rules 62 to 65 of the Defence Savings Certificates Rules 1966 in the CDNS version with amendments to May 2021. The indemnity bond format linked from the FAQ returned a 404 error when we tried it. The fee in rule 64 may since have been revised; we could not find a newer schedule on the CDNS site.
About the author
Senior Writer, Public Services and Technology
Shahid joined us in 2024 as an author. He is a senior contributor to Pakistan's leading technology websites. He writes detailed articles, mostly covering his expertise in the latest tech, mobiles, apps, gadgets, and step-by-step guides. His ideology is to help people understand the latest trends and explain complex methods through very easy-to-understand guides.
