How to Apply for a NADRA Juvenile Card for Your Child

A NADRA Juvenile Card is a plastic identity card for a Pakistani child under 18. You apply on the PakID app or at a NADRA Registration Centre, the child must attend, and you need the child's computerised birth certificate from the union council. The card expires at age 10 and again at 18.

The fee is the part most people get wrong. NADRA's official fee page, which we read on 27 September 2026, has no separate line for the Juvenile Card. The only child document on it is the Child Registration Certificate, the CRC, at Rs 50 normal or Rs 500 executive. There is no urgent tier.

We read NADRA's own Juvenile Card page and its fee table on the same day. Below is what they say, and what they leave out.

The Juvenile Card is a card version of your child's NADRA record

NADRA issues two identity documents to children under 18: the Child Registration Certificate, known as the B-Form, and the Juvenile Card. Both come from Rule 18 of the NADRA (NIC) Rules, 2002. Both prove who the child is and who the parents or legal guardian are.

NADRA says these documents are a child's first registration in its database. Rule 18(1) goes further. Every Pakistani citizen under 18 "shall be registered" with NADRA. So registration is a duty, not a choice. The card is simply one form it can take.

In practice, the difference is the format. The B-Form is a printed certificate. The Juvenile Card is a card, with the child's photo on it. It fits in a wallet and is harder to tear.

Juvenile Card, B-Form and CNIC compared

The B-Form and the Juvenile Card cover the same age group, under 18, and follow the same biometric rules. The CNIC is the adult card, issued from 18. A child moves from the B-Form or Juvenile Card to a CNIC when they turn 18.

Pick the B-Form if you only need a record for school or a passport file and your child is under 3. Pick the Juvenile Card if you want your child to carry a photo ID. Either way, the record behind it is NADRA's.

What the Juvenile Card costs

The official NADRA fee structure lists no Juvenile Card fee. It lists the CRC at Rs 50 in 7 days, or Rs 500 executive in 1 day. The Juvenile Card page sends readers to that same fee page, so check the amount before you pay.

We are not going to guess the card's price. Check the amount in the PakID app or at the NADRA counter before you pay. If anyone quotes an "urgent" Juvenile Card fee, ask them where it is written, because NADRA's own table has no urgent tier for child documents.

Documents NADRA asks for

NADRA lists only one document for a new Juvenile Card: the child's computerised birth registration certificate. For a child born in Pakistan, it comes from the union council, municipal committee or cantonment board. For a child born abroad, bring the detailed birth certificate or the S-1 Form.

• The child in person. NADRA says attendance is mandatory for every Juvenile Card, at any age.
• Computerised birth certificate. NADRA asks for the computerised one. Get the birth certificate first if you do not have it.
• Parents' CNICs. NADRA's page does not list them, but the card records the parents, so take both originals.

Check the birth certificate against both parents' CNICs before you go. A different spelling of a name or a wrong date will stop the application at the counter.

How to apply for a Juvenile Card on PakID or at a NADRA centre

You can start on NADRA's PakID mobile app or go straight to a NADRA Registration Centre. The app takes details and documents at home. The child's photo and biometrics may still need a centre visit.

1. Download the PakID app from Google Play or the App Store, then create an account or sign in.
2. Select "New Juvenile Card".
3. Fill in the child's details and upload the birth certificate.
4. Pay the fee. NADRA says the processing time starts only after payment.
5. Take the child to a NADRA Registration Centre for the photo and biometrics, if the app asks.
6. Track the application in the app until the card is ready.

At a centre, the process is the same without the app. Take the child and the documents, and the operator enters everything. NADRA's helpline is 1777, and it says the line is open 24 hours a day.

The card expires at 10 and at 18

A Juvenile Card made before age 10 records the child's photo and iris scan and expires at 10. A card made between 10 and 18 adds fingerprints and expires at 18. A card made at 6 needs replacing at 10.

NADRA takes fingerprints only from age 10, so the first card is short-lived. Put the 10th birthday in your phone as a reminder.

At 18, your child applies for an adult card. A new CNIC on the normal track is free, and you can apply for the CNIC online too.

Travel and school use of the Juvenile Card

NADRA's page describes the Juvenile Card as proof of a child's identity and parentage. It does not say the card replaces a passport, and it does not. For foreign travel, a child still needs a passport.

That record matters more than the format. NADRA's own page notes that a CRC can be made for passport issuance, so a child's passport leans on the same record. Errors on the B-Form or card carry across. Fix them at NADRA before booking a passport appointment.

For schools, the same logic applies. An office that asks for the child's NADRA registration is asking for the record, which either document proves.

Common questions

What is the fee for a NADRA Juvenile Card?

NADRA's fee page does not list the Juvenile Card separately. It lists the CRC at Rs 50 normal or Rs 500 executive. Check the exact amount in the PakID app or at a NADRA centre before paying.

Can I apply for a Juvenile Card online?

Yes, you can start on the PakID app by selecting "New Juvenile Card". The child may still need to visit a NADRA centre for the photo and biometrics.

What documents do I need for a Juvenile Card?

The child's computerised birth registration certificate from the union council, or the detailed birth certificate or S-1 Form for a birth abroad. The child must attend in person.

When does a Juvenile Card expire?

At age 10 if it was made before 10, and at age 18 if it was made between 10 and 18.

Is the Juvenile Card the same as the B-Form?

Both record the same NADRA registration for a child under 18. The B-Form is a printed certificate, and the Juvenile Card is a card with a photo.

Can a child travel abroad on a Juvenile Card?

No. NADRA presents it as an identity document, not a travel document. A child needs a passport to travel abroad.

How we verified this

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

Last checked on 27 September 2026. The legal basis, eligibility, requirements, biometric and expiry table and PakID steps are read on NADRA's Juvenile Card page. The CRC and CNIC fees, the absence of a separate Juvenile Card fee line and the validity table are read on NADRA's fee structure page. NADRA's site refuses direct requests, so we read both through a rendering service. NADRA's page lists questions on what happens to the card at 18 and whether a child without a CRC can apply, but the answers did not load for us, so we do not state them. We did not apply for a card ourselves.