Monday 9 November 2015

NADRA’s Online CNIC Service: ID Card Delivery Made Convenient

It’s a nightmare every Pakistani knows all too well – waiting in lines for their ID card to get made after God knows how many trips to the local NADRA offices. The process can be cumbersome and hair-splitting as most Pakistanis would attest to. So in light of all the trouble and delays associated with getting your CNIC in Pakistan, what if someone at NADRA realized that it’s the 21st century and things need to be different for the citizens here?
That’s the whole idea behind NADRA’s new scheme – an Online CNIC service that is all about making the process easy and hassle-free. It works like this – you apply for CNIC online from NADRA, and they take care of the rest, delivery included.
No more will you have to bother with the Executive centers, Registration centers and other confusing places that anyone who has applied for an ID card would normally have to go through. No more jumping through the hoops to be precise since now this whole apply for CNIC online service has made distances irrelevant.
Here’s how the whole process of getting an Online CNIC works. Keep in mind thought that the service isn’t live just yet. It will be operational in the very near future.

How to Apply for Online CNIC

The journey starts here – http://id.nadra.gov.pk/ – the starting point for Online CNIC registration.
NADRA has made the portal for all sorts of ID Card issues. Some of which are below:
  • Get a new ID Card (for people who want their ID card for the first time)
  • Renew your ID Card (in case of expiry of current ID card)
  • Reprint your ID Card (Handy for making copies or printing out your ID Card)
  • Get a new Overseas ID Card (for expatriates and oversees Pakistanis)
  • Modifying your ID Card Details (in case you missed a detail or two when you apply for CNIC Online)
Once you have figured out which option of ID Card creation is relevant for your purposes, then its time to proceed forward. Your ‘Application Fee’ and ‘Supporting Documents’ will differ based on the option you choose.

‘Supporting Documents’ when you Apply for Online CNIC

NADRA has made its online portal simple and uncomplicated to use. You choose an option for CNIC that suits your purpose and NADRA will provide you with the list of supporting documents it requires for the next step.
Step 1: Check here to see what supporting documents are required: http://id.nadra.gov.pk/know-requirements/
Example 1: An Overseas ID Card will require a PASSPORT COPY and CRC.
Example 2: A Renew ID Card will require Scanned Copy of CNIC (if no modifications are required.
It seems NADRA has made the process easier for everyone. In fact, the website is made for mobile too, making use of responsive web design technology to enhance its use. Changes like these are a good sign that NADRA is looking forward to the 21st century.
Please note that NADRA will ask for other documents as per their need and requirements later on, a point they make clear when applying for CNIC online.

Preparing your Documents for Online Processing

NADRA has provided step-by-step guides on preparing all sorts of documents for uploading. Naming conventions, file size limits, picture file formats, etc. You name it, they have clear cut instructions for them, in order to ensure the process goes smoothly.
Suppose that you need to change your picture when your ID card expires or some other situation like that. To upload a proper picture as per NADRA requirements, they got a Photography section detailing the answer to that exact question.
Here are some of the Preparatory Guides NADRA has for supporting documents:
  • Photo Capture
  • Fingerprints Capture
  • Form Filling
  • Document Upload
They even have a video detailing the uploading process for everyone – http://id.nadra.gov.pk/doc-upload-guidelines/

Application Fee for Online CNIC

Depending on where you reside and what kind of Online CNIC option you’ve opted for, you will be required to deposit an Application Fee. To know how much it would cost you in processing your Online CNIC application, please refer to the rates here – http://id.nadra.gov.pk/fee-details-cnic/
NADRA has laid out the rates for NICOP as well as CNIC both, even including the information about modifying the age, as well as delivery rates for CNICs both within Pakistan and Overseas.

Concluding Thoughts

We would like to see an Urdu version of this website too in order to appeal to a greater demographic of internet Pakistani users, especially those from rural and far-flung areas. Nonetheless, this is a good step by NADRA to make e-Governance in Pakistan within the common man’s reach.
Online CNIC registration and delivery is the need of the hour in this nation of 180 million population level. A laudable development indeed that can take care of the bottlenecks associated with Pakistan’s bureaucratic workings.

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