ISLAMABAD:
The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Thursday warned citizens of additional fees and penalties for those who delay obtaining or renewing their identity documents.
In a press release, the authority said that identity cards are issued for a specific duration and it is the responsibility of every adult citizen to ensure timely renewal of their identity cards, particularly CNICs, before their expiry.
“Failing this, essential services linked to these documents, including bank accounts, mobile phone SIM cards and other verification-based services, could be negatively affected or suspended,” it said.
“In addition, citizens whose identity cards have expired may not be able to benefit from various government and welfare programs such as the Benazir Income Support Programme, government subsidy schemes including the recently announced fuel subsidy scheme, as well as transactions such as property and vehicle transfers,” he added.
“This results in unnecessary hardship for citizens due to its own supervision. Although Nadra is legally empowered to impose additional fees or penalties for delays in renewal, such measures have not yet been implemented in consideration of public convenience,” the authority said.
According to currently available data, 27.475 million national ID cards, 2.309 million foreign ID cards, 11.65 million child registration certificates and 0.229 million minor documents have expired.
“In this regard, Nadra has already sent reminder messages to citizens via SMS, specifically including those parents whose children have turned 18 but have not yet obtained their first national identity card,” he said.
The authority reminded that as per the public notice issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on April 8, it was mandatory for mobile phone users to have a valid and active CNIC to ensure continuity of services.
“SIM cards registered with identity cards that have expired or are in the name of deceased persons can be blocked at any time. Currently, more than 8.1 million SIM cards are active with approximately 4.5 million identity cards requiring renewal. Of these, more than 223,000 identity cards have been expired for more than ten years without renewal,” it said.
Nadra has advised citizens to ensure timely renewal of their identity cards to maintain uninterrupted mobile services. It also said that SIMs registered in the names of deceased relatives should be transferred to the current user’s CNIC.
“All citizens have been asked to fulfill their legal responsibility by promptly renewing expired identity cards and ensuring the issuance of identity cards to persons who have reached the age of 18,” he said.
“If no improvement is seen in document renewal trends, additional fees and penalties may be imposed in the next fiscal year after June on those citizens who delay obtaining or renewing their identity documents,” he said.
