Guide
A CNIC, passport, birth certificate
or family record
Almost every other matter on this site starts with an identity paper: a card that has expired, a family record that does not list a child, a name spelt two ways. Most of these can be started from abroad. This page shows which office holds which paper, and where an advocate is needed.
Where this applies This page covers identity documents issued by Pakistan. Passports are issued by a different office from identity cards, and each has its own rules.
What this is about
NADRA holds the identity record: the identity card for people in Pakistan, the NICOP for citizens abroad, the family registration certificate that lists a family, and the birth record that goes into it. NADRA’s own online service, Pak-ID, is built to be used from anywhere in the world, and the family certificate can be applied for online and delivered.
The problems that need an advocate are the ones the online forms cannot solve: a record that is wrong and the office will not change, a child who was never registered, a name that differs between two documents, or a card that was blocked.
What has to be in place
What has to be clear.
Which paper, and whether it is new, a renewal, or a correction.
Whether you can do it yourself online, or whether someone in Pakistan has to go to an office.
What the record says now, before you ask to change it.
Note Your advocate confirms which of these apply to your case.
The documents you will be asked for
What NADRA usually asks for.
- Your existing card, or its number.
- For a child: the birth record, and the parents’ cards.
- For a correction: the document that shows the correct detail.
- A verifier in some cases: another card holder who confirms who you are.
How an advocate helps from where you are
What an advocate does.
- Goes to the office in Pakistan for the steps that cannot be done online.
- Gets a record corrected where the office has refused.
- Obtains a birth record for a child who was never registered.
- Sends the papers to you attested, if they are for use abroad.
What to ask before you agree
- Can this be done online, or does someone have to go to the office?
- What does the record say now, before we ask to change it?
- Have you had a record corrected after the office refused?
- What do you need from me, and by when?
- What is your fee, and what is not included in it?
More in Citizenship and identity
A relative died in Pakistan. Which papers come first?Citizenship and identity
I need a police certificate from PakistanCitizenship and identity
A relative died abroad. What has to happen in Pakistan?Citizenship and identity
Also relevant
Words you will meet
- CNIC
- The identity card for citizens in Pakistan.
- NICOP
- The identity card for citizens who live abroad.
- family registration certificate
- The certificate that lists a family, issued by NADRA.
- Pak-ID
- NADRA’s online service for applying from abroad.
Sources
Official pages read on 11 September 2026. The page says only what these say, and what an advocate does; nothing specific to your case.
Checked
11 September 2026
Pakistan. Sources listed at the end of the page.