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If your fingerprints cannot be verified, NADRA announced a facial-verification certificate as an alternative route: visit a NADRA Registration Centre for a fresh photo match, then give the certificate to the institution that requested your fingerprints. This is not a promise that every bank, SIM outlet or other counter can perform facial verification on the spot; the receiving institution must be able to accept and verify the certificate.
What can I do if my NADRA fingerprint verification fails?
If a fingerprint check fails because your prints are difficult to capture or match, ask the service provider whether it accepts NADRA’s facial-verification certificate. If it does, the process described in the December 31, 2025 announcement is to visit a NADRA Registration Centre, have a new photograph taken and matched against the photograph in NADRA’s records, and submit the resulting certificate to the institution that needs to verify you. The institution then checks the certificate online through NADRA. Associated Press of Pakistan (APP)
The announced fallback is aimed in particular at people whose fingerprints have faded with age or are affected by certain medical conditions. APP also cited poor-quality fingerprint readers as a possible reason a check may fail. It is a fallback for an unsuccessful or impractical fingerprint check, not a replacement that everyone must use.
Can I use facial verification instead of fingerprints for my bank or SIM?
Possibly, but an institution’s readiness matters. NADRA’s announcement described a certificate that the receiving institution must add to its records and verify online. It did not establish that every bank, telecom franchise, housing society or property-transfer counter had adopted the process.
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For direct use at service counters, APP described two implementation needs: institutions first need software changes to integrate NADRA’s facial-verification certificates, and counters need cameras, either standalone or integrated into existing KYC biometric machines. NADRA said it could not provide the service directly at those counters without these upgrades. Ask the institution that requested your biometrics whether it accepts the certificate before making a trip to NADRA. If a provider says the service is unavailable after the announced start date, APP said citizens could complain to the relevant institution or department; availability can vary as organisations implement the required changes.
The announcement also said facial verification was available at NADRA Registration Centres and through the Pak ID mobile application for services within NADRA’s own jurisdiction. That is distinct from an outside organisation accepting a NADRA certificate or offering a facial check at its own counter.
How do I get NADRA’s facial-verification certificate?
- Check acceptance first. Contact the bank, telecom provider or other organisation requesting fingerprint verification and ask whether it accepts NADRA’s facial-verification certificate for your specific transaction.
- Visit a NADRA Registration Centre. The announced certificate route involves a fresh photograph taken at a centre; NADRA compares it with the photograph already held in its records.
- Receive the certificate if the match succeeds. APP said it includes the verification purpose, your recent photograph and photograph on record, CNIC number, name, father’s name, a unique tracking ID and a QR code.
- Submit it to the requesting institution. The institution adds it to its records and verifies it online through NADRA. It is the institution, not the certificate holder, that completes this receiving-side check.
APP reported that the certificate was valid for seven days and cost Rs 20 in its December 31, 2025 account. Treat these as reported announcement terms, not guaranteed current fees or rules; confirm them with NADRA before relying on them.
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Can I complete NADRA facial verification in the Pak-ID app?
APP’s announcement said the verification system was then available in the Pak ID app for services within NADRA’s jurisdiction. For the certificate intended for use by another institution, however, the described process requires a centre visit for a fresh photograph and an institution-side online certificate check. The report did not say that the app alone can issue this external-use certificate. NADRA’s service catalogue lists biometric verification, Verisys, batch verification and e-Sahulat, and says facial recognition has been incorporated into its Multi Biometric Verification System, but that catalogue does not establish current certificate fees or rollout at every provider. NADRA Verification Services
Where else is facial verification being used?
SIM issuance through Zong
On January 2, 2026, Zong said it had partnered with NADRA to use multi-biometric verification, including facial recognition, as an alternative to fingerprints for SIM issuance. Zong described a dedicated SIM kiosk at NADRA’s Rawalpindi Mega Center as an initial model. This company-reported deployment is a specific partnership, not evidence that every SIM outlet nationwide offers the service. Zong’s announcement
Pensioner proof-of-life verification
APP reported that NADRA’s National Pensioners Verification System (NPVS) was formally launched on August 20, 2026, and that facial verification could produce digital Proof-of-Life certificates. The September 5, 2026 report described coverage of over three million retirees across federal and provincial departments, armed forces and autonomous institutions, with remote verification available to overseas pensioners. This is a separate pensioner workflow, not the certificate process for a bank transaction or other fingerprint failure. APP’s NPVS report
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What is the legal and technical context?
APP reported that the federal government amended the National Identity Card Rules, on NADRA’s recommendation, to recognise facial photographs and iris scans alongside fingerprints as valid biometric identifiers. The report did not specify the amendment number, gazette notice or date, so those details should not be inferred from the announcement.
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In APP’s account, NADRA said: “However, for its effective execution, NADRA has requested all regulators, relevant public institutions and private sector organisations to progressively upgrade their hardware and software in accordance with approved standards to enable the use of this biometric verification service.”
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