How PTA Registers a SIM
A fingerprint, a CNIC read against NADRA, and a record held by the company. That is the system, and it is why a count is all anyone outside it can ever be given.
Every SIM sold in Pakistan must be registered against the buyer's CNIC with fingerprint verification. The record stores the CNIC, mobile number, issuing company and activation status.
How the system works
When you buy a SIM in Pakistan:
- The operator collects your CNIC and performs biometric (fingerprint) verification
- The SIM is registered against your CNIC in PTA's system
- A maximum of 8 SIMs (5 voice, 3 data) can be registered per CNIC
- The record includes issuing company, activation date and SIM type
This SIM information system helps PTA and operators track SIM ownership and combat unauthorised or fraudulent SIM issuance.
Key takeaways:
- The SIM information system is the register of which CNIC each SIM in Pakistan is filed under.
- You cannot search it. You can query your own CNIC for a count, or your own SIM for its record.
- NADRA proves the identity, the operator writes the record, PTA runs the public count.
- A count per company is the widest answer any official channel gives the public.
What a record in the system contains
A registration is a short row of facts about a SIM, not a profile of a person:
- CNIC: the 13-digit identity card of the registered owner
- Mobile number: the 11-digit MSISDN starting with 03
- Issuing company: which operator holds the record
- SIM type: voice or data; a router SIM is filed the same way as a phone SIM
- Biometric status: that fingerprints were matched at the point of sale
Nothing in that row is published as a whole: no channel returns somebody else's address, call history or location.
How a SIM is written into the register
The entry is made once, in person, and the sequence has been the same since biometric registration became mandatory in 2015.
- You present your own CNIC at a franchise or authorised seller.
- The device scans your fingers and NADRA matches them against its record.
- On a match, the operator writes the SIM record against that CNIC; without one, no SIM is issued.
Since December 2022 the match runs through MBVS (Multi Finger Biometric Verification System), which randomly selects two fingers, so a copied print is far harder to reuse. Per-operator status codes (6001, 7751, 7911) confirm the result, as the SMS code reference lists.
The channels that query it
| Channel | What You Query | Result |
|---|---|---|
| SMS 668 | Your own CNIC (13 digits) | SIM count per company |
| cnic.sims.pk | Your own CNIC online | Same count, web-based |
| SMS 76367 | Any 11-digit mobile number | Network name only |
| SMS 667 | MNP from your own SIM | Name and CNIC on that SIM |
Every channel asks about something you already own or hold. The first two answer "how many", the third answers "which network", and only 667 returns a name, because the message came from the SIM in question. PTA's notice of 31 December 2025 says charges may apply to the 668 SMS; cnic.sims.pk lists no fee.
What it never reveals
PTA's system does not publish:
- The name or CNIC behind any mobile number (except your own SIM via 667)
- A searchable directory of all SIMs or all CNICs
- Real-time location of any SIM
- Owner details for a number that is not yours
Access to this data is restricted to protect privacy under PECA 2016 and PTA regulations.
The law explains the design. Section 16 of PECA 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. So a site claiming direct access to the register is not connected to PTA: it is showing invented rows, recycling an old leaked list, or harvesting the CNIC you type in.
Who runs which part
Three bodies touch one record, and each answers a different question: counts from PTA's channels, one SIM's problem from that operator, identity problems from NADRA, suspected misuse via NCCIA.
| Body | Owns | What it can tell you |
|---|---|---|
| PTA | The SIM rules and the public count | How many SIMs sit on your CNIC, company by company |
| NADRA | Your identity record and fingerprints | Nothing about SIMs; it proves the CNIC is yours |
| The operator | Its own SIM records, and the power to edit them | The registration on a SIM you hold, and the disowning itself |
| NCCIA | Investigations under PECA | No lookup; it takes your report on 1799 |
Checking your own record
Two routes read the register on your behalf, and both need only your own CNIC: send the 13 digits, without dashes, to 668, or enter them with the reCAPTCHA on cnic.sims.pk. Both return a count per company, never a name, and PTA allows up to 8 SIMs per CNIC: 5 voice and 3 data across all networks. Match each company's number against your own list of SIMs. The step-by-step version is how many SIMs are on your CNIC.
When the register is wrong
A count above your own list means an entry you did not make is sitting on your CNIC. Only the operator can correct the row.
- Note which company's count is too high.
- Visit that company's franchise with your original CNIC; your fingerprints are verified there.
- Request disowning of the unauthorised SIM: up to Rs 200 voluntarily, free in a fraud case.
- If the count does not change, complain to PTA on 0800-55055 or at complaint.pta.gov.pk.
A newly purchased SIM cannot be disowned or transferred within 365 days of activation. The full route is in how to block unauthorised SIMs.
FAQ
Can I search the SIM information system by mobile number?
No. There is no public search of the register. The official channels query your own CNIC for a count, and the SIM you physically hold for its own record. Anything offering a stranger's details from a number is inventing data or misusing it.
What is the difference between the SIM information system and cnic.sims.pk?
The system is the register of registrations that PTA and the operators maintain. cnic.sims.pk is one of two public windows onto it, the other being the 668 SMS. Both show only a count per company against your own CNIC.
Does a data SIM in my router show up in the count?
Yes. Data SIMs are registered through the same biometric process and count against the same limit as voice SIMs, which PTA sets at 8 per CNIC: 5 voice and 3 data across all networks.
Conclusion: the system is closed, the count is open
The SIM information system is the record of which CNIC each SIM in Pakistan is filed under, created by fingerprint verification and held by PTA and the operators. It answers two public questions: how many SIMs sit on your own CNIC, and who the SIM in your own hand is registered to. Everything else stays inside it, a legal choice under PECA 2016.
Your next step costs nothing: enter your CNIC without dashes on cnic.sims.pk and match each company's count to your own list of SIMs. If a number is too high, start the franchise route above the same week.