NADRA Death Certificate: How to Get One in Pakistan (2026 Guide)

NADRA

Last Updated: October 2026

NADRA does not issue death certificates. The local registration office does: the Union Council, Municipal or Town Committee, Cantonment Board or, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Village or Neighbourhood Council. It registers the death and prints the certificate from the civil registration system NADRA supplies to local councils. NADRA’s own part comes afterwards, when it cancels the person’s ID card and updates the family record.

The rules are kinder than most guides suggest. In Punjab a relative has up to a year to register a death, and the certificate is free. Sindh waived its death certificate fee in October 2025. In Punjab the “60 days” you will see quoted comes from one service page that the province’s own 2025 rules contradict, but it is the real limit in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. And in much of the country you no longer have to visit the office: Punjab, Islamabad, Peshawar and parts of Sindh now take applications through a phone app.

Who issues a death certificate

People search for a “NADRA death certificate” because the certificate is printed from NADRA’s system. The office that registers the death and signs the certificate is local, the same one that issues a birth certificate. NADRA’s own guide to Punjab’s rules says so directly: NADRA does not do the original civil registration, it issues and updates identity records on the basis of it.

Two papers you will be given along the way are not the certificate: the death slip from the hospital and the burial slip from the graveyard. They are the evidence the office uses to register the death, so keep both.

What a death certificate costs

Each province sets its own charges, so there is no national fee. These are the figures the authorities publish themselves:

Where	Registration and certificate	Other charges	Published by
Punjab	Nil	Late registration after 7 years PKR 1,000. Correction PKR 500. Duplicate PKR 200	Births and Deaths Rules 2025, rule 21
Punjab e-Khidmat Markaz	PKR 200 within 60 days	Affidavit PKR 300 each	e-Khidmat Markaz service page
Sindh	Waived by the provincial cabinet on 6 October 2025, with the province paying NADRA’s charges. The bye-laws also charge nothing for registering on time	Not published	Sindh cabinet decision; NADRA’s Sindh guide (11 June 2026)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Registration nil, certificate PKR 100	Late registration nil. Duplicate PKR 150. Correction PKR 200. Urgent PKR 300	KP registration rules 2021, Schedule
Islamabad	PKR 420 up to a year after the death, PKR 560 from one to five years, PKR 1,460 beyond five years	Duplicates and amendments are priced on the same scale	NADRA’s Islamabad guidebook (13 June 2026), citing letters of 18 March and 3 June 2026
Balochistan	Registration on time is free. PKR 100 for the computerised certificate	Late registration, 61 days to 6 years, PKR 300. Beyond 6 years, through a civil judge, PKR 800. Converting a manual certificate PKR 500. Copy of an entry PKR 100. Checking an entry PKR 500	NADRA’s Balochistan guide (11 June 2026)
Gilgit-Baltistan	Registration on time is free	NADRA’s fee for the computerised certificate applies, with no figure given. Copy of an entry PKR 100. Inspecting the register PKR 500	NADRA’s Gilgit-Baltistan guide (11 June 2026)
AJK	No official figure found	No official figure found	Ask the registration office

Two of those rows need a note. Punjab’s rules make issuance free for four years from when they took effect, after which the government may review it; an amendment in September 2026 extended that from one year. e-Khidmat Markaz, Punjab’s own facilitation centre, still lists PKR 200, so if you apply there, ask what the charge is for. Islamabad’s own page gives a range, PKR 200 to 1,500 “depending on age of child”, in the same words as its birth certificate page. NADRA’s June 2026 guidebook for Islamabad cites letters of 18 March and 3 June 2026 and prices by how long ago the death was, at PKR 420, 560 or 1,460, so if the counter asks for something else, ask which schedule it is using.

The “Rs 1,200 death certificate fee” is not real

In July 2026 a post claiming that the death certificate fee would rise fourfold, from Rs 300 to Rs 1,200, “starting August 1” spread across Facebook and Instagram. Soch Fact Check traced it and found nothing behind it: Punjab’s rules still said nil, Sindh had already waived the fee, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa officials issued a rebuttal. If someone quotes you Rs 1,200, they are quoting the hoax.

How long you have to register a death

The deadline depends on the province. Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa set theirs in published rules, and NADRA’s June 2026 public guides give the figures for Sindh, Islamabad, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan:

Where	Ordinary registration	If you are late
Punjab	Within one year (rule 11). Free	One to seven years: a committee decides (rule 12), no fee. After seven years: only after a court decree (rule 13), PKR 1,000
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Within 90 days. The Secretary registers it within 3 days (rule 29)	After 90 days: the Chairman orders registration after an inquiry, within 7 days. Applying for the certificate “after one year” needs a court order (rule 28)
Sindh	Within 30 days	31 to 90 days: NADRA’s Assistant Director orders registration after an inquiry. NADRA’s guide does not say what happens after 90 days
Islamabad	Within 30 days (rule 9)	Within six months: the Chairman can verify and register it. After six months: the Deputy Commissioner’s District Inquiry Committee investigates
Balochistan	Within 60 days	61 days to six years: the Chairman or Administrator approves, PKR 300. After six years: a civil judge’s court, PKR 800
Gilgit-Baltistan	Within 60 days	After 60 days the applicant must go to a court (bye-law 11)

Punjab’s rule 11 puts it plainly: “A relative of the deceased shall report the death as soon as possible but not later than one year.” The figures for the other four places are NADRA’s summaries of the local rules, so if a counter tells you something different, ask which rule it is applying. Whichever place you are in, register as soon as you can: a late case always means more paperwork.

Where the “60 days” comes from

Punjab’s e-Khidmat Markaz death certificate page says “All cases after 60 days must be processed through court”, and when we searched on 28 September 2026 Google’s AI answer repeated a 60-day limit as if it were the law. The 2025 rules say otherwise: a year for ordinary registration, a committee rather than a court for one to seven years, and a court only after seven. e-Khidmat’s birth certificate page does the same, describing a court route for old births that the 2025 rules do not require. The limit itself is not an invention everywhere: NADRA’s June 2026 guides give 60 days as the real deadline in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Documents you need

Punjab’s rule 11 lists them on Form-B:

• Copies of the CNIC of the applicant and of the person who died
• The hospital’s death slip showing the cause of death, if the death was in a hospital
• The burial slip issued by the graveyard management committee, if there is one

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa uses Form-D, which the applicant signs, thumbprints and writes their CNIC number on, and the office may ask for the gravedigger’s certificate or slip. To be given the certificate itself you must show how you are related to the person who died. Islamabad’s application form asks for the person’s name, nationality, parents or husband, occupation, address, religion, sex and caste, age, the date, time and cause of death, and the name and address of whoever is reporting it. NADRA’s June 2026 guides show the same Form B in Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad, free at the council office. Sindh and Balochistan ask for an affidavit with two witnesses or, for a death in hospital, the hospital’s confirmation, and Balochistan also asks the graveyard to confirm the burial.

If the death happened at home

There is no hospital slip, so the office needs other proof. NADRA’s guide to Punjab’s rules lists what can stand in for it: the burial slip if you have one, a statement from a close relative, verification by the local councillor or representative, statements from two witnesses, an affidavit where needed, and the deceased’s CNIC or other identity record. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when a resident dies outside the council’s area, the rules ask for the hospital’s certificate or, if the death was not in a hospital, an attested affidavit on plain paper signed by two witnesses, and a council member then makes an inquiry.

How to apply

1. Keep the hospital and graveyard slips. They are the core evidence, and replacing them later is harder than registering the death.
2. Go to the registration office for the deceased’s area. In a cantonment that is the Cantonment Board. In Punjab you can also apply at an e-Khidmat Markaz, which processes cases through the district where they are registered.
3. Fill in the death registration form, Form-B in Punjab or Form-D in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, then sign it and give your thumb impression.
4. Pay only what is published, and keep the receipt.
5. Check every detail before you leave. The name, father’s or husband’s name, CNIC number, date and place of death. A correction later costs money and, for anything beyond a clerical error, can need a court decree.

Applying through the Pak ID app

NADRA’s Pak ID app now carries Union Council registration, including deaths, in these places:

• Punjab: the Local Government Department and NADRA signed an e-registration agreement on 26 November 2025, piloted in Jhelum, Chakwal and Nankana Sahib, and NADRA announced the service across Punjab on 13 December 2025.
• Islamabad: launched on 20 June 2026 with the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad. Fees are paid in the app, and the approved certificate is issued to your phone.
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: the Pak ID release of 11 July 2026 added civil registration for the province, “initially for District Peshawar only”.
• Sindh: the province launched its own CRMS mobile app with NADRA on 28 November 2025, and NADRA extended its Pak ID Union Council service to Tando Allahyar and Jamshoro on 4 January 2026, with the rest of the province still to follow.

Two cautions. Applying online does not always spare you a visit: Punjab’s rule 11 says an online applicant “may be required to visit the concerned registration office for verification”, and to sign and thumbprint the form there. And no authority publishes the in-app charges, so check them on the payment screen before you confirm. NADRA’s own PakID FAQ has not caught up either; it still lists only NADRA’s own documents, such as ID cards, the FRC and cancellation certificates.

NADRA’s own user guideline for death registration in the app (14 November 2025) shows what you will be asked. You choose Death under Provincial Registration Services, enter the registration office and the exact date of death, and tap Calculate Fee to see the charge before you start. You then upload supporting documents and give the deceased’s details, which the app fills in from NADRA if you have the citizen number, the parents’ details and the burial details: the CNIC of whoever conducted the burial and their relationship, the date and place of burial, the place of death and, if you have them, the doctor’s name and how long the illness lasted. Once the council issues the certificate you are notified and it appears under Applications in the app; if the application is rejected, an officer from the council contacts you.

If the person died in one of the hospitals in NADRA’s pilot, NADRA may contact you first. In October 2025 NADRA reported that more than 50 hospitals and health centres, including PIMS in Islamabad and Lady Aitchison Hospital in Lahore, now send it births and deaths directly, and that it then sends the heirs an app notification or SMS telling them to complete registration at their Union Council.

Registering a death late

Punjab sets out the whole route in rule 12, and it is more involved than a late birth. For a death reported more than one year but not more than seven years ago, the relative applies on Form-B, gives the reasons for the delay, and attaches:

• An affidavit by a relative on PKR 300 stamp paper, witnessed by two people who were present at the burial
• Copies of the CNIC or birth certificate of the deceased and of the relative
• The hospital death slip, if the death was in a hospital, and the burial slip if available

The office forwards the case within three days to a committee of the Deputy Director, the tehsil’s Assistant Director, the registration official and a representative of NADRA. The rule directs the committee to have a notice published in a national daily newspaper, inviting objections within ten days, and “the expenses of advertisement shall be borne by the applicant”. The decision is due within thirty days, and the certificate is issued as soon as the decision reaches the office. A refusal can be appealed within fifteen days, and the appeal is decided within thirty. Past seven years, rule 13 is one line: the death “shall be registered after court decree”, with a PKR 1,000 fee.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is quicker on registration and stricter on the certificate. After 90 days the council’s Chairman orders the registration after an inquiry, within seven days. But rule 28 requires a court order where “the applicant applied for the certificate after one year”, and also where the applicant is not the head of the family, a relative, a legal heir or the person who had custody of the deceased.

NADRA’s June 2026 guides describe the other four places. In Sindh a death reported 31 to 90 days late goes to NADRA’s Assistant Director, who orders registration after a full inquiry. In Balochistan the Chairman or Administrator approves a death from 61 days to six years old, on a written reason for the delay and a PKR 300 fee, and a civil judge handles anything older, for PKR 800. In Gilgit-Baltistan bye-law 11 sends every death registered after 60 days to a court, and the court’s decision is final. In Islamabad a death reported within six months can be verified and registered by the Chairman, and a later one goes to the Deputy Commissioner and a District Inquiry Committee.

If the death happened abroad

A Pakistani who dies overseas can still be registered at home. In Punjab, rule 15 lets a relative report the death manually or online on Form-B within six months, with the foreign hospital’s death certificate attested by the Pakistan Embassy or Consulate and attested copies of the CNICs of the deceased and the relative. The Deputy Director verifies the case, and the certificate is issued within three days of the order. After six months it becomes a late registration under rule 12, and you also need a PKR 300 affidavit witnessed by two people and copies of the CNIC, passport and visa.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa works the other way round: register the death with the Pakistani embassy, high commission or consulate within 90 days, or under the mission’s own procedure, then take the mission’s original death certificate to the council Chairman, who orders it entered. Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan describe the same route in outline, with the death certified through the Pakistani mission and the original certificate presented at the local council. If you are dealing with this from abroad, our guide to NADRA services from abroad covers the ID card side.

Duplicates and corrections

In Punjab a duplicate costs PKR 200 and is issued the same day. For a death certificate, rule 20 allows “a relative or any other person” to apply, with an attested copy of their CNIC and the fee receipt. A correction costs PKR 500, and anything beyond a clerical error can need a court decree.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa issues the original certificate only once, to the first eligible applicant; anyone who applies after that is given a duplicate, at PKR 150. A correction costs PKR 200 and is decided by the Chairman within fifteen days if you apply within three years of the registration. After three years it needs a court order.

In Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan a copy of an entry costs PKR 100, and both say the date of death cannot be changed without a court decision. Islamabad prices a re-issued certificate on the same scale as a new one. Its guidebook says the most suitable route for a change to an issued death certificate is a civil court, and that where a court is impracticable there should be a proper fact-finding inquiry and approval from the competent authority first.

What to do once you have the certificate

The death certificate is the document the rest of the paperwork waits on:

• Cancel the ID card. NADRA cancels the deceased’s CNIC or NICOP and issues a cancellation certificate, and it lists cancellation due to death among the services in the PakID app.
• Update the family record. A widow or widower who needs their marital status changed uses the death certificate, as our guide to updating marital status and spouse details explains, and the Family Registration Certificate reflects the change once NADRA has it.
• Deal with bank accounts and property. Heirs usually need a succession certificate, which NADRA now issues alongside the courts.
• Attestation for use abroad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ attestation checklist says death certificates of Pakistani nationals should have the ID card cancellation certificate issued by NADRA.

Can you check a death certificate online?

Not through a public search. There is no official page where you type a CNIC or certificate number and see a death record. The CRMS address that circulates online, crms.nadra.gov.pk, would not open for us from any network we tried on 21 and 28 September 2026. What does exist:

• Your own application, tracked in the Pak ID or CRMS app if you applied there.
• The register itself, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: a person involved in the reporting can apply in writing to inspect it, for a PKR 100 fee, or ask for a certified copy of the entry. Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan let any citizen check an entry for PKR 500.
• The issuing office, which can confirm a certificate it printed.

Some guides say death certificates now carry a QR code linked to CRMS. We could not find an official source for that. What NADRA did add, in September 2026, is QR verification in the Pak ID app for its own Child Registration Certificates and ID card cancellation certificates.

Common mistakes

• Believing the 60-day limit in Punjab. The rules give you a year, and no court until seven years.
• Paying the Rs 1,200 “new fee”. It was a hoax. Punjab’s rules say nil, and Sindh waived the fee.
• Going to a NADRA centre for the certificate. NADRA cancels the ID card; the Union Council or equivalent issues the death certificate.
• Throwing away the burial slip. It is one of the listed documents, and replacing it later means affidavits and witnesses.
• Waiting more than a year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The rules then require a court order for the certificate.
• Assuming the certificate cancels the ID card. It does not. Cancelling the CNIC is a separate application to NADRA.

Sources: Punjab’s deadlines, documents, late registration, deaths abroad, duplicates and fees are from the Punjab Local Government (Registration of Births and Deaths) Rules 2025 (Punjab Gazette, 14 May 2025), rules 11 to 16, 20 and 21, and the free-issuance period from the amendment notified on 2 September 2026. NADRA’s summary of those rules, including the home-death alternatives, is its Birth Death Marriage Divorce Public Guide for Punjab (April 2026). The competing Punjab figures are from the e-Khidmat Markaz death certificate page. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s rules and fees are from the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Divorce or Dissolution of Marriages (Registration and Certification) Rules, 2021, rules 22 to 31, 47 and the Schedule. Islamabad’s form and fee are from ICT Administration. The Sindh fee waiver is from Dawn (6 October 2025) and the fee hoax from Soch Fact Check (20 August 2026). The app rollout is from NADRA’s own announcement for Punjab (13 December 2025), and from the Associated Press of Pakistan for the Punjab agreement, Islamabad, Sindh and the hospital pilot, from The Nation for the Sindh extension, and from the Pak Identity release notes for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the new QR checks. NADRA’s app services are from its PakID FAQs, and the attestation rule from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ attestation checklist. All read on 28 September 2026. The rules for Islamabad, Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan are from NADRA’s public guides for Islamabad (13 June 2026), Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan (11 June 2026), which summarise the local rules, and the app steps from NADRA’s death registration user guideline (14 November 2025), all read on 2 October 2026.

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