CNIC Information Pakistan
How your CNIC is linked to SIM registration, NADRA's role, and how to check SIMs on your CNIC.
What is CNIC?
CNIC (Computerized National Identity Card) is Pakistan's national identity card issued by NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority). Every Pakistani citizen aged 18+ must have a CNIC. It is a 13-digit number used for all official transactions, including SIM registration.
It is written in three groups: 12345-1234567-1. Five digits, then seven, then one. The dashes are a reading aid, not part of the number, and every SIM record is filed under the thirteen digits themselves. PTA publishes no decoding of the separate groups: a SIM check matches the whole CNIC against the identity record NADRA holds for it.
Key takeaways:
- A CNIC is the 13-digit identity number NADRA issues; SIM records are filed against it.
- It is written 12345-1234567-1, but 668 and cnic.sims.pk want the digits with no dashes.
- Official checks return a count per company: no other person's name, address or phone number.
- NADRA verifies who you are, PTA runs the public count, the operator issues and blocks SIMs.
- A SIM on your CNIC that you did not register is yours to close: disown it, then escalate.
How CNIC is Linked to SIM Registration
Every SIM in Pakistan must be registered against a valid CNIC through biometric verification. When you buy a SIM, the seller scans your fingerprints, which NADRA matches against its records for your CNIC. If the match succeeds, the SIM is registered on your CNIC.
This means every SIM on your CNIC is legally your responsibility. You are solely responsible for any use or misuse of SIMs registered to your CNIC.
The link is made once, at a counter, and fingerprints prove it. Biometric registration has been mandatory for every new SIM since 2015, and since December 2022 SIMs are issued through MBVS (Multi Finger Biometric Verification System), which randomly selects two fingers. PTA sets those rules; the operator writes the record with your CNIC, mobile number and its own name attached.
How to Check SIMs on Your CNIC
Two official channels read the count, and both ask the same question of the same record.
- SMS 668: Send your 13-digit CNIC (no dashes) to 668. Reply shows SIM count per company.
- cnic.sims.pk: Open cnic.sims.pk, enter your CNIC, complete the reCAPTCHA, press Submit. Same count, shown on screen.
The answer is a count, company by company: no list of numbers and no name. PTA has published no sample reply, so treat any screenshot claiming that 668 printed phone numbers as invented. The walkthrough is in how many SIMs are on your CNIC.
NADRA's Role in SIM Registration
NADRA's role is identity verification only. When you buy a SIM, NADRA compares your fingerprints with its records. NADRA does not sell SIMs: the mobile company handles registration. NADRA does not show your SIMs: PTA's system does that.
The split matters when something goes wrong: a franchise can disown a SIM because it holds the record, NADRA cannot because it never held it.
Who Holds What: NADRA, PTA, the Operator
Three bodies touch your CNIC during SIM registration, and each gives a different answer: count questions to PTA's channels, questions about one of your own SIMs to the operator, identity-record problems to NADRA, suspected crime to NCCIA.
| Body | What it holds | What it will show you |
|---|---|---|
| NADRA | Your identity record: the CNIC and your fingerprints | Nothing about SIMs. It proves you hold that CNIC. |
| PTA | The SIM count on each CNIC and the issuing rules | A count per company, through 668 or cnic.sims.pk. |
| Mobile company | Its own SIM records: number, CNIC, status | Your SIM's record (MNP to 667), and disowning at the franchise. |
| NCCIA | Identity-misuse investigations under PECA 2016 | No public lookup. It opens a case when you report abuse on 1799. |
What to Do If Your CNIC Is Misused
If you find SIMs on your CNIC that you did not register:
- Confirm the count on 668 or cnic.sims.pk and note which company is too high.
- Visit the concerned network's franchise with your original CNIC.
- Request disowning of the unauthorised SIM. Your fingerprints are verified at the counter.
- If unresolved, complain to PTA (0800-55055) or NCCIA (1799).
What disowning costs, and when you cannot use it
Voluntary disowning costs up to Rs 200; in a fraud case it is free. A newly purchased SIM cannot be disowned or transferred within 365 days of activation, so buy only in person at an authorised franchise. There is no online route: the operator's counter is where a SIM comes off your CNIC. The escalation path, and the evidence to keep, are in how to block unauthorised SIMs.
What a CNIC Check Never Shows
The channels return a count per company against your own CNIC and, through 667, the record of your own SIM. They do not return another person's name, address or number, and no public SIM database exists to search. That is a legal limit, not a technical gap: Section 16 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 makes unauthorised use of another person's identity information an offence, with up to 3 years in prison, a fine of up to Rs 5 million, or both. The current text is on the PECA portal, and the PECA 2016 guide sets out what you may lawfully do.
FAQ
How many digits is a CNIC, and do I type the dashes when checking SIMs?
Thirteen, written as 12345-1234567-1. Send the digits alone. PTA's FAQ and its releases of 10 November 2023 and 31 December 2025 all say no dashes, no spaces, no extra words: a dash is the usual reason no reply arrives.
Can I see whose name a SIM on my CNIC is registered to?
No. 668 and cnic.sims.pk return a count per company, not names or numbers, and no official channel shows the holder of a SIM you do not have. Take an excess count to that operator's franchise.
Do data SIMs in routers and MiFis count against my CNIC?
Yes. PTA allows up to 8 SIMs on a CNIC: 5 voice and 3 data, combined across all networks. A SIM in a router, tablet or tracker counts the same as one in a phone, so list every data device before you judge a count.
Conclusion: Your CNIC Is the Index, the Count Is the Answer
CNIC information in Pakistan comes down to thirteen digits that NADRA issues and under which every SIM record is filed. PTA turns those digits into a count per company on 668 and cnic.sims.pk, and the operator holds and edits each record. Nothing beyond that is public.
Do the check now: type your CNIC without dashes to 668, or open cnic.sims.pk, and compare each company against your own list of SIMs, data devices included. If one is over, book the franchise visit the same week.