NADRA Fees 2026: What Every Document Actually Costs

On 13 August we published a page saying we could not tell you what a CNIC modification costs, because four sites gave three different answers and NADRA's own fee schedule would not load for us.

It loads now. We read it on 18 August 2026, and here is every fee on it.

The first thing worth knowing: a new CNIC on the normal track is free.

CNIC fees

Two patterns are worth pulling out of that table.

Only the first card is free. Modification, duplicate and renewal all cost Rs 400 on the normal track. Whether you are correcting a spelling, replacing a lost card or renewing an expired one, the fee is identical.

The urgent and executive prices are flat. Rs 1,150 and Rs 2,150 regardless of what you are doing. So a first time applicant paying for urgent service is paying the full Rs 1,150 for something that would have cost nothing with patience, while somebody renewing pays Rs 1,150 instead of Rs 400.

In other words, speed costs a first time applicant more than it costs anybody else, because they are paying for the whole thing rather than an upgrade.

Smart NIC fees, which are a separate list

Notice what changes. The Smart NIC costs more at every tier, and it also takes longer at every tier. Normal is 31 days against 15. Even executive is 9 days against 6.

The Smart card is not the faster option. It is the slower and dearer one.

The contradiction we could not settle, now settled

Here is why our earlier page found different fees on different sites, and why the answer is more useful than it first looks.

One site said CNIC modification costs Rs 400 normal, Rs 1,150 urgent, Rs 2,150 executive. Another said Rs 750, Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500.

Both were correct. The first was quoting the CNIC. The second was quoting the Smart NIC. Neither said which card it meant, so to a reader they looked like a disagreement about one thing rather than accurate descriptions of two.

That is worth carrying with you beyond this page. When a fee for a Pakistani identity document does not match what you were told, the usual explanation is not that somebody lied. It is that the two of you were talking about different documents.

Our original piece on why the CNIC fee sites disagreed stays up, because the advice in it, check the authority rather than an aggregator, is exactly what produced this answer.

Certificates, and the ones that cost almost nothing

The Child Registration Certificate at Rs 50 is the cheapest thing NADRA issues, and the one most often delayed for no good reason. Seven days and fifty rupees is not a burden worth postponing. We cover the document itself in the B Form guide.

Cancelling a record after a death costs nothing and takes a day. There is no urgent tier because there is no need for one. This is the step that unlocks inheritance, and families routinely leave it undone for months without realising it is free.

The FRC is offered on the executive track only, which is why it comes back in a day. We set out which type to ask for in the FRC guide, because getting the wrong one is a common and expensive mistake.

One oddity we will flag rather than explain. The fee schedule lists FRCs for an alpha, beta or gama family. NADRA's own FRC page describes alpha and beta only. We do not know what gama covers and we are not going to guess.

Overseas Pakistanis pay in dollars

NICOP cancellation after a death is free, as with the CNIC.

The dollar pricing matters more than it looks. A fee fixed in dollars moves in rupees every time the exchange rate does, so an overseas Pakistani comparing this year's cost with a figure from two years ago is comparing two different rupee amounts for the same unchanged fee. Our NICOP and POC guide covers which document applies to whom.

How to use this before you go

1. Decide which card you actually need, CNIC or Smart NIC, because the price lists are separate.
2. Check whether you need speed at all. On a first CNIC, patience is worth Rs 1,150.
3. Count from payment, not from the form. NADRA timelines start when the fee is paid.
4. Take the exact amount and ask for a receipt showing the category you paid for.
5. Check the schedule yourself on nadra.gov.pk before travelling, since fees change and this page is dated.

What we did not verify

Every figure here was read from NADRA's published fee schedule on 18 August 2026. We did not pay any of them ourselves, so we cannot tell you whether a particular registration centre offers every category on the list.

We also cannot tell you whether the stated timelines hold in practice. They are the authority's own published commitments, not our measurements, and a published timeline and a real queue are different things.

We have not covered fees charged by third parties, agents or courier services. Those are not NADRA fees and do not appear on the schedule.

If the figure on nadra.gov.pk ever differs from the figure here, the authority is right and this page is out of date. That is what the date at the top is for.

Questions readers are asking

How much does a new CNIC cost?

Nothing on the normal 15 day track. Rs 1,150 for urgent, 12 days, and Rs 2,150 for executive, 6 days.

What is the CNIC modification fee?

Rs 400 on the normal track, Rs 1,150 urgent, Rs 2,150 executive. Duplicate and renewal cost the same.

Why do some sites say Rs 750 instead?

Because they are quoting the Smart NIC, which is a different card with its own price list. Rs 750 normal, Rs 1,500 urgent, Rs 2,500 executive. Both figures are correct for their own document.

Is the Smart NIC faster?

No. It is slower at every tier. Normal takes 31 days against 15 for the CNIC, and even executive is 9 days against 6.

What does a B Form cost?

The Child Registration Certificate is Rs 50 on the normal 7 day track, or Rs 500 for executive service in a day.

Is there a fee to cancel a CNIC after a death?

No. It is free and processed in one day.

What do overseas Pakistanis pay?

The Smart NICOP is USD 39 normal, USD 57 urgent and USD 75 executive, on 31, 23 and 9 day timelines. Cancellation after a death is free.