NADRA Facial and Iris Verification in Pakistan: What to Do When Your Fingerprints Fail

NADRA's verification services page, which we read on 8 November 2026, lists a "revised definition of biometrics with inclusion of facial recognition and IRIS" and the launch of its Multi Biometric Verification System (MBVS) with a facial recognition feature. The start date of 20 January 2026 for the certificate at registration centres is also reported rather than published by NADRA, so we mark it as such.

Many counter staff still do not offer the option unless you ask for it by name. This guide explains who it is for, how to ask, and where to complain.

Who needs facial or iris verification

Fingerprint verification fails most often for a few groups. NADRA's National Registration and Biometric Policy Framework, version 2.0, notified by the federal government on 1 January 2025, names old age, skin conditions and disability as the usual reasons. It says elderly citizens' fingerprints are often skipped at enrolment because of poor quality.

• Manual workers whose prints are worn by cement, chemicals or heat.
• Elderly people, whose skin thins with age. This shows up most at pension and BISP counters.
• People with scars, skin conditions or a hand injury.
• People whose prints were captured badly at first enrolment.

For them, a fingerprint scanner can block a SIM, a bank account, a pension, a property transfer or a benefit payment. The framework says facial and iris recognition "shall be implemented throughout the industries" that use NADRA biometric checks, including SIM centres, banks, e-Sahulat and passport centres.

How to get the certificate at a NADRA centre

1. Go to a NADRA registration centre with your original CNIC. A franchise or e-Sahulat agent may not offer it.
2. Say that fingerprint verification is failing. Ask for a facial recognition based biometric verification certificate, by that name.
3. Sit for the facial scan. Your live image is matched against the photograph NADRA already holds.
4. Pay the fee the counter states (reported as Rs 20) and collect the certificate. Ask how many days it stays valid; seven days has been reported.

NADRA's page for overseas Pakistanis lists MBVS checks inside the Pak ID app for six cases: attestation by a blood relative, vehicle transfer, legal heirs for a succession certificate, passport issuance, proof of life, and Punjab arms licences. The app services are in the NADRA Pak ID app guide.

What the certificate shows

The details below are as reported for the certificate. NADRA has not published a specimen, so check your copy when you collect it.

Because it is valid for only a short time, get every other paper ready first. Find out what the bank, operator or office needs, and collect the certificate last. If your CNIC is expired, renew it before anything else, as set out in applying for a CNIC online.

Where the certificate is used

The certificate and the facial check are already used in several services. Each has its own rules.

• BISP payments: BISP has told women whose thumbs do not verify to get a facial recognition certificate from NADRA, as covered in BISP thumb not working. The same biometric check applies to BISP Kafaalat for transgender persons and to mothers registering under Benazir Nashonuma.
• SIMs: PTA has an alternate process when fingerprints fail, explained in buying a SIM when your fingerprint does not match. PTA also keeps an 8 hour gap between SIM requests on one CNIC, so plan visits using PTA's 8 hour rule.
• Banks: SBP rules allow NADRA Verisys instead of fingerprints for some customers, set out in opening a bank account when your fingerprint fails.
• Passports: passport issuance is one of NADRA's six MBVS cases. Fees for the passport itself are in the passport fee in Pakistan.

If the counter says it cannot be done

Ask for the service by its full name rather than describing the problem. Ask to speak to the centre in charge rather than the operator at the window. If neither works, try another registration centre, because a service being available and staff knowing about it are not the same thing.

NADRA's helpline is 1777 from a Pakistani mobile, or +92 51 111 786 100 from abroad, and it lists csd@nadra.gov.pk for complaints. Its overseas page says the helpline runs 24 hours. If NADRA's systems are down, see what to do when NADRA is down.

Questions readers are asking

What does the NADRA facial verification certificate cost?

Rs 20 has been reported. NADRA's own fee page does not list it, so confirm the amount at the registration centre before you pay.

Who can use facial verification instead of fingerprints?

Citizens whose fingerprint verification fails. NADRA's policy framework names old age, skin conditions and disability as the usual causes.

Are facial and iris scans recognised biometrics in Pakistan?

Yes. NADRA's verification page lists a revised definition of biometrics that includes facial recognition and iris.

Can I do this from the Pak ID app instead of visiting a centre?

For six cases, NADRA lists multi biometric checks in the Pak ID app, including passport issuance and proof of life. The printed certificate itself is issued at registration centres.

How long is the certificate valid?

Seven days has been reported. Ask the counter, and collect the certificate last, once everything else is ready.

Does this replace my CNIC?

No. It proves that you are the person on your CNIC when a fingerprint scanner cannot. You still need the card itself.

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 verification services page (revised biometrics definition, MBVS with facial recognition), its page for overseas Pakistanis (six MBVS cases, helpline) and the National Registration and Biometric Policy Framework 2.0. None of them states the certificate's fee, validity or start date, so those are marked reported. We did not apply for a certificate.