NADRA
Last Updated: October 2026
NADRA does not issue arms licences. The licence belongs to the federal government or to your province or region, and NADRA runs the computerised system behind it for some of them. NADRA’s Domestic Projects page says that work began with the federal government in 2010 and was extended to Sindh in 2013, Punjab in 2015, Balochistan in 2024 and Gilgit-Baltistan in 2025. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not on that list: its Home Department runs its own Dastak app and sends applicants to a NADRA office only for biometric verification.
This guide uses NADRA’s Domestic Projects page, the Punjab arms licence portal, the Lahore Deputy Commissioner’s published description of its Arms Licence Branch, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dastak website and one April 2026 news report, all read on 16 October 2026. We did not create an account on any licensing portal or apply for a licence.
Who issues your licence, and what NADRA does
| Licence | Whose licence it is | NADRA’s part |
|---|---|---|
| Federal | The federal government | Computerised system since 2010. NADRA counts 37,664 licences in 2024 and 39,019 in 2025. |
| Punjab | The Government of Punjab: its Home Department, and the Deputy Commissioner of your district | Agent of the Punjab government since February 2015, with online applications on pal.nadra.gov.pk. NADRA counts 121,424 licences in 2024 and 195,515 in 2025. |
| Sindh | The Government of Sindh | NADRA says the system reached Sindh in 2013. Its projects page gives no Sindh figures and no Sindh portal. |
| Balochistan | The Government of Balochistan | Joined in 2024. NADRA counts 5,077 licences in 2024 and 16,223 in 2025. |
| Gilgit-Baltistan | The Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, with approval at Deputy Commissioner level | Processing counters at NADRA centres in Gilgit, Skardu and Diamer since 18 January 2026, for a PKR 2,000 processing fee. |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | The Home Department, through the Dastak app | Not on NADRA’s list. Dastak points applicants to a NADRA office for biometric verification. |
| Azad Jammu and Kashmir | Not covered by any source we read | Not on NADRA’s list. |
NADRA’s page names the government it works for, not the office that signs the licence. The Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan rows name the deciding office because their own documents do. The licence counts are NADRA’s, from the statistics table on each project.
Important: NADRA processes the application, it does not decide it. In Punjab the Deputy Commissioner’s office approves an application after checking it against the manual record, and in Gilgit-Baltistan verification and approval sit at Deputy Commissioner level, so a NADRA counter cannot promise you a licence.
What NADRA added in 2025
For the federal, Punjab and Balochistan systems, NADRA lists the same two changes made in 2025: validation of legacy and manual records, and a dematerialised arms licence in the ID Vault of the PakID app. The first matters if you still hold an old booklet licence, because the record behind it has to be matched before a computerised licence can rest on it. The second means the licence can sit on your phone beside your CNIC. Our PakID app guide explains the app and its ID Vault. We could not see an arms licence in the vault ourselves, because that needs a licence holder’s account.
Gilgit-Baltistan: the newest system
NADRA’s page for the Gilgit-Baltistan Arms License Project gives more detail than any other region’s:
- The agreement. NADRA and the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan signed on 2 January 2023 to digitise the licences Gilgit-Baltistan issues, under a build, operate and transfer arrangement.
- The fee. Applicants are charged a processing fee of PKR 2,000 per application.
- The caseload. NADRA estimates more than 60,000 licences: about 45,000 revalidation cases and over 15,000 new licences.
- The start. The Chief Secretary inaugurated operations on 30 December 2025, and Gilgit, Skardu and Diamer districts became operational from 18 January 2026. The other districts are planned in phases, across all ten.
- What you can do. Residents of those three districts can convert a booklet licence into a smart card licence, or apply for a new one, at dedicated counters in the NADRA Registration Centres in Gilgit, Skardu and Diamer.
- Who approves. Verification and approval run at Deputy Commissioner level, with deployments at the Home Office and the Deputy Commissioner offices in Gilgit, Skardu and Diamer.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Dastak, not NADRA
Dastak, at dastak.kp.gov.pk, describes itself as an initiative of the Home Department powered by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB). It says you can apply for, renew and manage an arms licence through its Android and iOS apps, pay through PayMir e-banking, and track the application with automated alerts. NADRA has two roles there, by Dastak’s own description: verification draws on NADRA, the criminal database and police station records, and the app helps you find your nearest NADRA office for biometric verification. Cards are printed centrally with a QR code, and the site has a Verify option. Its counter showed 376,637 issued licences when we read it.
Punjab and the federal licence
Punjab is the largest system by NADRA’s own count, and it is the only one with a public NADRA-run application portal, pal.nadra.gov.pk, which carries the line “Home Department, Government of Punjab”. Our Punjab arms licence guide covers the portal, what the Deputy Commissioner’s office handles and the documents it lists.
For the federal licence we found no public page from the Ministry of Interior or NADRA that describes how to apply. Daily Pakistan reported on 22 April 2026 that NADRA, following Ministry of Interior directives, had digitised the issue and renewal of federal licences, and that each licence now stays valid for five years from the date of issue or renewal, where licences used to expire on 31 December each year. We could not confirm that from an official source, so treat it as reported.
What we could not confirm
- Licence fees. None of the pages we read publishes a licence fee, apart from Gilgit-Baltistan’s PKR 2,000 processing fee. NADRA’s fee structure page has no arms licence entry.
- Sindh. We found no Sindh application page or procedure.
- The federal five-year validity. Reported in the news, not found on an official page.
- Azad Jammu and Kashmir. No source we read covers it.
- The ID Vault licence. We did not see it, because it needs a licence holder’s account.
Common mistakes
- Expecting NADRA to approve your licence. It processes the application. The licensing government decides.
- Assuming Khyber Pakhtunkhwa works like Punjab. It uses Dastak, and NADRA’s part there is biometric verification.
- Paying an agent or an unofficial website. NADRA says every subdomain of its own domain is official, and Dastak sits on kp.gov.pk. Check the address before you enter anything.
- Quoting a fee from a news report as official. Fees reported in the press were often proposals, and the sources we read publish none.
- Assuming Punjab’s old conversion drive is still open on the same terms. The Lahore Deputy Commissioner’s office describes NADRA collecting manual licences from February 2015 to 31 December 2020.
Sources: the start dates, the 2025 changes, the licence counts and the Gilgit-Baltistan project from NADRA’s Domestic Projects page; the Punjab portal at pal.nadra.gov.pk; the Punjab approval role and the 2015 to 2020 collection from the Deputy Commissioner Lahore’s Arms Licence Branch document; the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa system from Dastak; the federal validity report from Daily Pakistan; and the subdomain rule from NADRA’s Domain Authenticity Policy. All read on 16 October 2026. Licensing rules can change without notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions about this topic.
Does NADRA issue arms licences?
No. NADRA runs the computerised licence system for the federal government and for Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, but the licence belongs to that government. In Punjab the Deputy Commissioner’s office approves applications, and in Gilgit-Baltistan approval sits at Deputy Commissioner level.
Which arms licences does NADRA process?
NADRA’s Domestic Projects page says its arms licence work began with the federal government in 2010 and was extended to Sindh in 2013, Punjab in 2015, Balochistan in 2024 and Gilgit-Baltistan in 2025. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir are not on that list.
How do I apply for an arms licence in Punjab?
Through the Punjab arms licence portal at pal.nadra.gov.pk, which belongs to the Home Department of the Government of Punjab and opens with New Account and Login options. The Deputy Commissioner’s office in your district still decides the application. Our Punjab arms licence guide covers the details.
Is the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa arms licence handled by NADRA?
No. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa uses Dastak, an app and website of the provincial Home Department built by KPITB, at dastak.kp.gov.pk. Dastak says verification draws on NADRA records and that you visit a NADRA office for biometric verification, but the application, payment and tracking run through Dastak.
What does a Gilgit-Baltistan arms licence cost?
NADRA says applicants pay a processing fee of PKR 2,000 per application under its Gilgit-Baltistan project. Its page does not list any other licence fee.
Can I keep my arms licence in the PakID app?
NADRA says a dematerialised arms licence became available in the ID Vault of the PakID app in 2025, for the federal, Punjab and Balochistan systems. We could not see one ourselves, because that needs a licence holder’s account.
How long is a federal arms licence valid?
Daily Pakistan reported on 22 April 2026 that federal licences now stay valid for five years from the date of issue or renewal, where they used to expire on 31 December each year. We could not find this on a Ministry of Interior or NADRA page, so treat it as reported.
Can a NADRA centre renew my arms licence?
It depends on where the licence is from. In Gilgit-Baltistan, NADRA runs licence counters in its Gilgit, Skardu and Diamer centres. In Punjab, NADRA acts as the government’s agent and applications go through pal.nadra.gov.pk. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a NADRA office only does the biometric verification for Dastak.
How do I check that an arms licence is genuine?
Use the official system for that licence. Dastak has a Verify option for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa licences, which carry a QR code. For other regions we found no public verification page, so ask the issuing Deputy Commissioner or Home Department.
