How to Do Pakistan Single Window Biometric Verification on the PakID App

You can now finish the biometric step of a Pakistan Single Window (PSW) subscription in NADRA's PakID app on your phone, instead of visiting an e-Sahulat franchise. PSW announced the change on 22 September 2026. The PSW fee stays Rs 500, and a subscription lasts two years.

PSW is the federal trade portal that importers, exporters and customs agents use to deal with Customs and more than a dozen other regulators. Biometric verification, meaning a fingerprint check against NADRA's records, was the one step that still needed a trip to a shop counter. That trip was hardest for overseas Pakistanis, who often had to fly home for it.

We read PSW's subscription and renewal pages, NADRA's PakID page and the app's store listings on 24 September 2026. On that date, PSW's own pages still told users to visit an e-Sahulat centre. The PakID route rests on PSW's press statement, carried by Dawn, The Nation and ProPakistani.

PSW biometric checks moved to the PakID app on 22 September 2026

PSW biometric verification can now be done remotely through NADRA's PakID mobile app, for a new subscription, a subscription renewal and a profile update. The e-Sahulat franchise route still works too. PSW says both run side by side for an interim period.

PSW chief executive Syed Aftab Haider said the change removes "another physical trip in the onboarding process". Before this, the biometric check was the only step of a PSW subscription that could not be done online.

Two limits are in the announcement itself. The app route is for "eligible" users, and it is "subject to applicable NADRA requirements". PSW has not published who is not eligible. It also has not said how long the interim period lasts, or when e-Sahulat verification for PSW will stop.

That is an announcement, not yet a rewritten rulebook. PSW's subscription page, which we read on 24 September 2026, still lists "biometric verification from the National Database and Registration Authority's e-Sahulat Centers" as a requirement. Expect the page to change. Until it does, keep the e-Sahulat route in mind as the fallback.

Traders and customs agents need a PSW subscription, and it costs Rs 500

Anyone who imports, exports or clears goods through Customs in Pakistan needs a PSW subscription. PSW's own page puts the fee at Rs 500, paid through a Payment Slip ID (PSID), and the subscription is valid for two years.

A PSID is a payment code the system generates. You pay it through a bank branch, internet banking or a mobile banking app, the same way you pay most federal fees.

PSW asks for these details when you subscribe:

• Your CNIC number.
• An NTN, a free tax number or a sales tax registration number. A company also gives its SECP registration number.
• A mobile number registered in your own name. PSW checks it against the Pakistan Mobile Number Portability Database.
• The email address that appears on your FBR IRIS profile.

That email detail catches people out. If your IRIS email is old or wrong, update it with FBR first, because PSW sends its codes and your login link there. You can confirm your tax number with an NTN verification online before you start. If you are a one person business without an NTN yet, registering as a sole proprietor with FBR comes first.

The PakID route follows the same order, with the phone replacing the shop

Start on the PSW portal, not the app. You fill in your details, pay the Rs 500 PSID and confirm codes sent to your phone and email. Biometric verification is the last step, and that is where PakID now replaces the e-Sahulat visit.

1. Open psw.gov.pk and click Subscribe. Accept the terms and conditions.
2. Enter your CNIC, NTN, mobile number and email. A company adds its SECP number.
3. Pay the Rs 500 subscription fee using the PSID the system generates. PSW then emails you an Application ID. Keep it, because it lets you resume the application.
4. Confirm your mobile number and email with the one time passwords (OTPs) PSW sends.
5. Install PAK IDENTITY by NADRA from Google Play or the App Store, and sign in or create an account with your CNIC.
6. Complete the biometric check in the app. NADRA says PakID reads your fingerprints through the phone's camera.
7. Wait for PSW's email with a link to create your user ID and password.

Step 6 is the part we could not test. We do not hold a live PSW application, and PSW has not published how the request reaches the app. It may appear in your PakID inbox, or it may ask for your Application ID. Look for that on your PSW dashboard after step 4.

On the app itself, NADRA's PakID page says it verifies identity using "fingerprint scanning via your smartphone camera". The Google Play listing adds that login works by fingerprint or face. That camera check is separate from the facial and iris verification NADRA offers at its centres for people whose fingerprints will not read.

The app route and the e-Sahulat route compared

The app route saves the trip and works from abroad. The e-Sahulat route needs a visit to a franchise with biometric equipment, but it is the method PSW's own pages still describe. Both are open during the interim period PSW announced.

Not every franchise has a biometric device, so call before you go. The e-Sahulat franchise network is large, but the shop down your street may only take bill payments.

Renewal every two years uses the same biometric step

A PSW subscription is valid for two years under SRO 2296(I)/2022. Renewal costs Rs 500, and the biometric check is again the last step. That check can now be done in PakID too, according to PSW's announcement.

PSW's renewal page sets out the order. Log in, open Profile Management and click Renew Subscription. The system generates a Rs 500 PSID, and you have ten days to pay it. You then confirm your FBR profile, OTPs and mobile number, and finish with biometric verification.

The portal warns you one month before your subscription expires. Do not ignore that warning. Once it lapses, PSW says you cannot start any new transaction until the renewal is complete, although requests already in progress are still processed.

During renewal you can also update your CNIC, mobile network, mobile number and city. A profile update of that kind is the third case the PakID change covers.

Overseas Pakistanis can verify from abroad, but still need a Pakistani number

Overseas Pakistanis gain the most, because the biometric step no longer needs a visit to Pakistan. But PSW's other checks have not changed. You still need an NTN, the IRIS email and a Pakistani mobile number registered in your own name.

That last point matters for anyone living abroad. PSW verifies the number through the Pakistan Mobile Number Portability Database, so a foreign number will not pass. If your old Pakistani SIM has lapsed, reactivating an expired SIM may be quicker than getting a new one from abroad.

PSW's page names the CNIC as the identity document. It does not mention a NICOP, the card NADRA issues to Pakistanis abroad. It also says other documents may be used for diplomats and foreign registered companies. We could not confirm whether a NICOP holder can subscribe, so ask PSW's helpline on (021) 111 111 779 before paying.

Fixes when PSW biometric verification fails

Most failures come from the details around the biometric check, not the fingerprint itself. The mobile number, the IRIS email and an expired CNIC cause more trouble than the camera. Here are the fixes for the common cases.

• Fingerprints will not read in the app. Clean the camera, use good daylight and hold each finger steady. If it still fails, switch to an e-Sahulat franchise, which is still open for PSW during the interim period.
• Your CNIC has expired. Renew it first. PakID itself handles renewal of an expired CNIC. A PSW profile holding an expired card is likely to fail.
• The mobile number is not in your name. PSW needs a SIM registered to your own CNIC. You can see which numbers are yours by checking SIMs registered on your CNIC, then use one of those.
• The email code never arrives. PSW sends it to the email on your FBR IRIS profile. Update that email in IRIS, then resume with your Application ID.
• The PSID expired. A renewal PSID allows ten days to pay. Generate a new one from Profile Management.
• The portal will not load. When we opened psw.gov.pk on 24 September 2026, it showed a notice about a fibre cut disrupting connectivity. Try again later, or call the 24 hour helpline.

Only the subscriber can do the biometric check. PSW says the person whose CNIC is linked to the NTN must verify, so a clerk or customs agent cannot do it on your behalf.

Common questions

Can I do PSW biometric verification without visiting NADRA?

Yes. Since PSW's announcement on 22 September 2026, eligible users can do it in NADRA's PakID app. The e-Sahulat franchise route stays open for an interim period.

How much is the PSW subscription fee?

Rs 500, paid through a system generated PSID. PSW's own page states this, and renewal every two years is also Rs 500.

Does PakID charge for PSW verification?

Neither PSW nor NADRA has published a charge for this step. The reports of the announcement do not mention one either. Check the screen before you confirm any payment in the app.

How long does a PSW subscription last?

Two years, under SRO 2296(I)/2022. PSW reminds you one month before it expires.

Can someone else do the biometric check for me?

No. PSW says only the subscriber, the person holding the CNIC linked to the NTN, can complete it.

When will the e-Sahulat option for PSW end?

PSW has not given a date. It said only that both channels will run for an interim period.

Last checked and sources

We read PSW's subscription page and renewal page on 24 September 2026 for the Rs 500 fee, the two year validity under SRO 2296(I)/2022, the ten day PSID window, the required details and the e-Sahulat step. We read NADRA's PakID page and the app's Google Play and App Store listings the same day for how the app verifies fingerprints. The PakID integration, the three covered processes and the interim period come from PSW's statement as reported by Dawn and The Nation on 23 September 2026 and ProPakistani on 22 September 2026. PSW's own news page did not carry it on 24 September 2026. We could not run a live PSW subscription, so the app side of step 6 is not tested.