NADRA
Last Updated: August 2026
Two things are worth knowing before you gather anything. Adding a relative to your NADRA record needs their ID number and an interview, and no documents at all. And there are ten fields NADRA changes with no paperwork whatsoever, which most guides treat as though they need a file. This page covers what the family record is, how to add to it, and which corrections genuinely require proof.
What the family record actually is
NADRA links individual records to each other: parents to children, siblings to siblings, spouses to each other. Your Family Registration Certificate is generated from those links rather than from anything you submit when you request one.
That is the practical consequence worth holding on to. If a person is missing from your FRC, the fix is not to argue with the FRC. It is to make the link that was never made. This is why FRC problems surface at the worst moments, in visa applications and inheritance matters, long after the omission happened.
Adding a relative
NADRA’s Registration Policy gives the requirement in three lines:
- An application by the applicant.
- The CNIC, NICOP or POC number of the blood relative.
- Verification of the relative through an interview, with remarks recorded at approval stage.
No birth certificate is named. No attestation. NADRA is joining two records it already holds, so what it needs is the number identifying the other one and an officer satisfied the relationship is genuine. Treat the interview as the real requirement and be ready to answer plainly about the relationship.
For a spouse specifically there is a second operation alongside this one, because your own marital status is a separate field with its own document requirement. See adding your spouse to NADRA records.
Ten fields that need no documents at all
Under the heading covering place of birth and various other fields, NADRA’s policy states plainly that no document is required for the following:
- Identification mark
- Blood group
- Origin
- Mother tongue
- Country of stay
- Qualification
- Biometric and signature
- Purpose of stay
- Phone number
- Profession
The policy adds a general remark that “no attestation is required in change cases”. If you have been told to produce a degree certificate to correct your qualification, or a lab report for your blood group, that is not what NADRA’s own policy asks for.
The corrections that do need proof
Place of birth
The exception in that same section. A change or correction to place of birth requires a birth certificate or other relevant documentary evidence. And there is an ordering rule: if a birth certificate already exists in NADRA or CRMS data, the change is only made after the birth certificate has been corrected, and by the same Union Council that issued it.
Where a Union Council is not online, the policy states a manual birth certificate or an educational certificate is acceptable.
A parent’s name
Heavier, because it changes a link rather than a field. Where the parents are alive, the policy asks for the application, the parents’ identity card number, and the presence of the father or mother whose name is being corrected as a biometric witness. Where a parent has died, it works through a sibling with the same parent details, or through siblings acting as biometric witnesses.
If one or no sibling is available, the policy accepts any one piece of irrefutable documentary evidence: a birth certificate, an RG1, an old B-Form, an RGIII, an old passport or CNIC, or a verified matriculation or equivalent certificate. If a witness cannot give biometrics, an attested undertaking by the parents or siblings is provided for, and where parents or siblings are not present the case can be processed through the distant attestation option.
Gender
The policy is specific here. A change from male to female or the reverse is entertained only on provision of documentary evidence of the gender change procedure together with a verified medical certificate issued by a government or foreign hospital. A change from transgender to male or female is not entertained. Straightforward correction cases, as opposed to changes, are processed in the office mistake category.
If the error was NADRA’s, it is free
Check this before paying for anything. Where the record does not match the application you submitted, it is an office fault. NADRA’s policy requires no documents and no attestation for those, allows you to raise them at any time after receiving the ID, for the specific fields that are wrong, and states they can be processed in the Executive category free of cost.
Otherwise a change is a modification: PKR 400 Normal, PKR 1,150 Urgent or PKR 2,150 Executive on a non-smart CNIC, and PKR 750, PKR 1,500 or PKR 2,500 on a Smart card. Several corrections made in one application are one fee. See our CNIC fees guide.
Who can request the certificate
Broader than people expect, and useful when the person whose record it is cannot attend. NADRA’s policy states the applicant for a Family Registration Certificate can be any blood relative, spouse or guardian. Two limits worth knowing: a CRC or Juvenile Card holder cannot apply for an FRC, and if a minor holds a CRC without a photograph, the minor’s presence or a photograph is needed.
One more, which surprises people: an FRC can be issued including a family member who has been digitally impounded as a proclaimed offender. Full detail in our FRC guide.
Common mistakes
- Bringing documents to add a relative. It needs their ID number and an interview.
- Assuming every field needs proof. Ten of them do not, and no attestation is required in change cases.
- Trying to fix place of birth before the birth certificate. Where a record exists, the certificate is corrected first, by the same Union Council.
- Paying to correct NADRA’s own error. That is an office fault: free, and in the Executive category.
- Arguing with the FRC. It is generated from the links. Fix the link.
- Listing a guardian as a parent. NADRA requires biological parents to be recorded even where guardianship is recognised by a court.
If the record you need to correct is a child’s, see our guides to the B-Form and registering a newborn.
The adding relative requirements, the list of fields needing no documents, the attestation remark, the place of birth ordering rule, the parent name and gender requirements, and the FRC applicant rules are all from NADRA’s Registration Policy, version RP-6.0.1, issued 15 October 2025, in the chapter “Change / Correction in Identity Documents”. The answer on guardians is from the FAQ on NADRA’s CNIC page, and fees from its official fee structure. All read on 29 August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions about this topic.
What do I need to add a relative to my NADRA family tree?
An application, the relative’s CNIC, NICOP or POC number, and verification of the relationship through an interview. NADRA’s Registration Policy names no documents and no attestation for this.
Which details can I change without any documents?
NADRA’s policy lists ten: identification mark, blood group, origin, mother tongue, country of stay, qualification, biometric and signature, purpose of stay, phone number and profession. It also states that no attestation is required in change cases.
Why is a family member missing from my FRC?
Because the FRC is generated from NADRA’s family links rather than from anything you submit. If the link was never made, the person will not appear. The fix is to add the relative, not to reapply for the certificate.
How do I correct my place of birth?
It needs a birth certificate or other documentary evidence, unlike most other fields. If a birth certificate already exists in NADRA or CRMS data, the certificate must be corrected first, by the same Union Council that issued it.
How do I correct a parent’s name on my record?
Where the parent is alive, NADRA asks for the application, the parents’ identity card number, and the presence of that parent as a biometric witness. Where a parent has died it works through siblings, and if one or no sibling is available, through documentary evidence such as a birth certificate, old B-Form, old passport or verified matriculation certificate.
What does it cost to update the family tree?
A change is charged as a modification: PKR 400, PKR 1,150 or PKR 2,150 on a non-smart CNIC, or PKR 750, PKR 1,500 or PKR 2,500 on a Smart card. Several corrections in one application are one fee. If the error was NADRA’s own, it is free.
Can I list a guardian instead of a parent?
No. NADRA requires biological parents to be recorded even where adoption or guardianship is legally recognised by a court.
Who can apply for a Family Registration Certificate?
Any blood relative, spouse or guardian. A CRC or Juvenile Card holder cannot apply for one, and if a minor holds a CRC without a photograph, the minor’s presence or a photograph is needed.
