Senior Citizen Card in Pakistan: Where It Exists and How to Apply
Only KP publishes a senior citizen card form. What the laws in Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Islamabad promise, and the railway and NADRA benefits for 60+.
Only Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has a published way to apply for a senior citizen card today. You fill a one page form at your District Social Welfare Office, with a copy of your CNIC and two photos. Everywhere else in Pakistan, your CNIC is what gets you the benefits.
Four provinces and Islamabad have senior citizen laws, and most of the promised cards have no application route we could find. We read every act, the rules, the department pages and the railway fare table on 27 September 2026.
Senior citizen card rules differ in every province
Each province wrote its own senior citizens law, so the age, the card and the benefits all change at the provincial border. KP, Sindh, Balochistan and Islamabad start at 60. Punjab's 2026 law starts at 70 and does not create a card at all.
| Where you live | Law | Senior from age | Card in the law | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | KP Senior Citizens Act, 2014 | 60 | Yes | Form at the District Social Welfare Office |
| Sindh | Sindh Senior Citizens Welfare Act, 2014 | 60 | Yes, now called the Sindh Senior Citizen card | Form set by 2021 rules, not published online |
| Islamabad | ICT Senior Citizens Act, 2021 | 60 | Yes | No rules made yet that we could find |
| Balochistan | Balochistan Senior Citizens Act, 2017 | 60 | Mentioned | No procedure in the Act or rules |
| Punjab | Punjab Senior Citizens Welfare Act 2026 | 70 | No | Not applicable |
A 65 year old in Lahore is not a "senior citizen" under Punjab's new law, but counts under the railway rules and in every other province.
How to apply for the KP senior citizen card
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, fill the Urdu registration form, attach a CNIC copy and two recent passport size photos, and hand it to the District Social Welfare Officer. The rules say the card should be issued within about ten days.
- Check you qualify. You must be 60 or older and hold a KP domicile. Section 9 of the KP Senior Citizens Act, 2014 lets you apply once you complete 60 years.
- Download the form from the Social Welfare Department's senior citizens page. It is one page, in Urdu, titled "Form Indiraj Baraye Buzurg Shehri".
- Fill in your details, including CNIC number, domicile district, monthly income and an emergency contact. Retired government staff also give their department, post and retirement date.
- Attach a copy of your CNIC and two recent passport size photos. Sign or put your thumb impression.
- Submit it to the District Social Welfare Officer of your district. Ask for the register entry number written in the "office use" box.
The KP Senior Citizen Rules, 2017 set the timeline. The district officer forwards your form within three days to the Secretary of the Senior Citizens Welfare Council. The Secretary issues the card within one week after checks. We could not confirm how long it takes in practice, so keep that register number.
What the KP card gives you
The KP card gives free entry to public museums, libraries and parks, separate counters and wards in hospitals, a concession on medical and medicine charges, and financial support for deserving senior citizens. The law does not fix a percentage for the concession.
The department's page says the council approved the card design on 7 November 2017 and that registration "has been started". It names no hospital or museum with a set discount, so ask at the counter before you rely on one.
Sindh and Islamabad cards exist in law, not yet in practice
Sindh's law created the Azadi Card in 2016 and its 2021 rules set an application form. Islamabad's 2021 law promises a card with a 20 per cent discount. We found no public application route for either card on 27 September 2026.
Sindh
The Sindh Senior Citizens Welfare Act, 2014, published as Sindh Act No. XXI of 2016, covers permanent residents of Sindh aged 60 and above. The Sindh Senior Citizens Welfare Rules, 2021, in the Sindh Gazette of 24 June 2021, say the council issues the card on an application in "Schedule-B", with documents listed in "Schedule-A".
The copy on the Sindh law department's portal stops before those schedules, and the Social Welfare Department's senior citizens page had only a heading when we checked.
A 2023 amendment also cut the benefits. It renamed the Azadi Card the "Sindh Senior Citizen" card and removed the 50 per cent road fare concession, the 25 per cent discount at private hospitals, the tax exemption and the 25 per cent medicine discount.
Islamabad
The Islamabad Capital Territory Senior Citizens Act, 2021 covers residents aged 60 and above. It promises a 20 per cent discount on medicines, private doctor fees and domestic air, rail and government transport fares at "designated establishments".
But section 11 says the card's procedure "shall be prescribed in the Rules". We browsed the Pakistan Code and found the Act, amended in 2026, but no rules under it. Without rules, there is no form to fill.
Punjab and Balochistan have no card to apply for
Punjab's February 2026 law sets up a Senior Citizens Welfare Council for people aged 70 and above, but it creates no card. Balochistan's 2017 law ties benefits to a card and never says how to get one.
The Punjab Senior Citizens Welfare Act 2026 asks the council to arrange free park entry, separate counters and a toll-free helpline. None of those is a right you can claim at a counter today.
What Punjab does run is seven old age homes, in Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Narowal, Sahiwal and Toba Tek Singh, with room for 300 people. Admission is for people over 60, with priority for the destitute.
Railway discount for senior citizens needs only your CNIC
Pakistan Railways lets passengers aged 75 and over travel free in economy on all trains. Passengers aged 65 to under 75 get 50 per cent off economy and 25 per cent off AC. You show your original CNIC, not a provincial card.
| Age | Concession | Conditions in the fare table |
|---|---|---|
| 75 and over | Free, economy only, all trains | Can also use the 65 to 75 concession in other classes |
| 65 to under 75 | 50% economy, 25% AC | Not on Green Line, Karakoram, Karachi Express, Pak Business, Shalimar, Millat, Rawal Express, non-stop or outsourced trains |
| Both groups | Four single journeys a year | Advance computerised reservation, CNIC photocopy kept, original CNIC on board, Rs 5 insurance charged |
These rules are in the passenger fare table dated 20 April 2025, still the newest one posted. Book at a reservation office. Forget the original CNIC on the train and you are treated as travelling without a ticket. The discount is worked out on the base fare, so check the current Pakistan Railways fares for your route before you go.
NADRA services for older citizens and pensioners
NADRA gives pensioners a free Proof of Life Certificate through the PakID app, e-Sahulat shops, NADRA centres and Union Councils, with preferential service at centres. The new QR code CNIC also carries a senior citizen symbol.
NADRA made the certificate free on 21 August 2026. Pensioners can get it on the PakID app, at more than 5,000 e-Sahulat franchises, 988 NADRA Registration Centres and 500 Union Councils, without waiting in the regular queue. A family member can also get it through their own PakID account.
That matters most for anyone chasing a government pension case, where a missing life certificate can stop payment. Private sector workers aged 60 and over should also check their EOBI old age pension, which many never claim.
NADRA's 14 August 2026 release says the QR code CNIC shows a senior citizen symbol. It did not say from what age, or what it unlocks.
Common questions
Is there a national senior citizen card in Pakistan?
No. Senior citizen cards are provincial. Only Khyber Pakhtunkhwa publishes an application form. Islamabad's card awaits rules, and Punjab's law has no card.
At what age can I get a senior citizen card?
At 60 in KP, Sindh, Islamabad and Balochistan. Punjab's 2026 law counts senior citizens from 70, but it does not issue a card.
Do I need a senior citizen card for the railway discount?
No. Pakistan Railways checks your original CNIC. Passengers aged 75 and over travel free in economy, and those aged 65 to under 75 pay half in economy.
Where do I submit the KP senior citizen card form?
At the District Social Welfare Office of your district. Attach a CNIC copy and two passport size photos. The rules say the card follows within about ten days.
Does the Sindh senior citizen card still give 50 per cent off bus fares?
No. A 2023 amendment removed the 50 per cent road fare concession from the Sindh law. It now promises only an "admissible concession" in transport fares.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 27 September 2026. We read the senior citizen laws on the KP Code, the Sindh law department portal, the Pakistan Code, the Balochistan Code and the Punjab Code, including the KP rules of 2017, the Sindh rules of 2021 and the Sindh amendment of 2023. We read the KP, Sindh and Punjab Social Welfare Department pages and the KP registration form. Railway concessions come from the Pakistan Railways fare table dated 20 April 2025. NADRA facts come from its media releases of 14 and 21 August 2026. We did not apply for a card, so issue times are not confirmed. We did not check Gilgit-Baltistan or Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
