NADRA
Last Updated: August 2026
NADRA publishes a Smart NICOP fee of USD 39 on Normal processing for Zone A and USD 20 for Zone B. Almost nobody pays exactly that. The Pakistani mission you actually apply through adds charges of its own, and it quotes a different processing time from the one NADRA prints. This page puts NADRA’s official schedule side by side with what three Pakistani missions were charging when it was checked, so you can budget for the real number rather than the published one.
What NADRA officially charges in 2026
| Zone | Normal (31 days) | Urgent (23 days) | Executive (09 days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone A (USA and Europe) | USD 39 | USD 57 | USD 75 |
| Zone B (Middle East and Africa) | USD 20 | USD 30 | USD 40 |
One figure covers four services. A new Smart NICOP, a renewal, a modification and a duplicate are all priced identically on NADRA’s schedule, so there is no discounted rate for renewing rather than applying fresh. NADRA’s two zone labels do not name every country individually, and Canada is billed at the Zone A rate despite the label reading “USA and Europe”, so confirm which zone applies to you with your own mission.
What your mission will actually charge you
This is the part NADRA’s fee page does not show, and it is the single most common reason people think they have been overcharged. Three Pakistani missions, checked on 27 August 2026:
| Mission | Normal | Urgent | Executive | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan High Commission, London | GBP 51.50 | GBP 64.50 | GBP 79.50 | One total, stated to include a GBP 2 bank surcharge and a GBP 14 NADRA delivery charge |
| Consulate General, Toronto | USD 65 plus CAD 50 | USD 83 plus CAD 60 | USD 101 plus CAD 60 | NADRA fee and the consulate’s own processing fee, billed separately |
| Consulate General, Los Angeles | Not published | Not published | Not published | Publishes processing times only, fees on application |
Two things are worth reading carefully. Toronto lists the NADRA portion alone as USD 65, 83 and 101, which sits exactly USD 26 above NADRA’s own Zone A figure at all three tiers. London itemises GBP 16 of its total as a bank surcharge plus a delivery charge. Neither mission is contradicting NADRA: both are consistent with a delivery and handling component that NADRA’s headline zone table simply does not display. The practical consequence is the same either way. Budget for your mission’s number, not NADRA’s, and check it on your own mission’s website before you travel, because these are set per mission and change without notice.
London also adds GBP 10 to any NICOP application submitted during a NADRA Mobile Registration Team visit.
How long it actually takes, and why two clocks disagree
| Priority | NADRA’s published timeline | What missions quote |
|---|---|---|
| Normal Most common | 31 days | 06 weeks |
| Urgent | 23 days | 04 weeks |
| Executive | 09 days | 02 weeks |
London, Toronto and Los Angeles all quote the same six, four and two weeks, and all three differ from NADRA’s day counts. These are not competing claims, they are two different clocks. NADRA’s timeline counts processing only, and it starts after your biometrics are captured and your fee has cleared. A mission’s estimate runs end to end, from the counter to the courier arriving at your door. Expect the mission’s figure to be the one you experience.
London adds an important caveat that the others leave out: its quoted times apply only to applications submitted through a NADRA Registration Centre. Manual form-based applications, and those taken during a Mobile Registration Team visit, run to roughly six to eight weeks regardless of the priority you paid for.
Changing your details can cost far more than the card
This sits further down NADRA’s fee page than most people scroll, and it catches applicants out badly. Correcting a spelling is cheap. Changing a name to a genuinely different one is not.
| Change | Region | Normal | Executive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same particular, or a slight difference | Zone A and Zone B | USD 10 | Not offered |
| A different particular | Zone A countries | USD 250 | USD 500 |
| A different particular | Zone B countries | USD 120 | USD 200 |
| Same particular, or a slight difference | Inland | PKR 1,000 | PKR 20,000 |
| A different particular | Inland | PKR 10,000 | PKR 20,000 |
A correction to an existing name costs USD 10. Replacing it with a different name costs USD 250 on Normal in Zone A, and USD 500 if you need it on Executive. Settle exactly which category your change falls into before you pay anything, because the gap between the two is larger than the cost of the card itself.
Delivery charges, and why your mission’s total is higher
NADRA publishes delivery as a separate line from the card fee, and for overseas applicants it does not publish a figure at all. Its schedule reads “varies from country to country”. That is the clearest official explanation for why the total you are quoted sits above the zone fee, and it is why the amount differs between London, Toronto and Los Angeles rather than being one global surcharge.
| Delivery | Charge |
|---|---|
| Abroad | Varies from country to country, no single published figure |
| Within Pakistan | PKR 165 |
Updating details that are not printed on the card
Changing a field NADRA holds but does not print on the card face is charged on its own schedule, separately from the card fee. It is the cheapest item on the whole NICOP schedule and is easy to miss.
| Route | Fee | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| CNIC or NICOP through a NADRA Registration Centre | PKR 100 | 02 days |
| CNIC or NICOP through the PakID mobile app | USD 5 | 02 days |
| Pakistan Origin Card | USD 30 | 02 days |
How long your NICOP stays valid
| Card holder | Validity |
|---|---|
| Adults | 10 years |
| Minors aged 14 and above | 10 years |
| Minors under 14 | 10 years, or until they turn 18, whichever comes first |
Check this before paying for Executive processing on a child’s card. A NICOP issued to a child under 14 can expire on their eighteenth birthday rather than running a full ten years, which changes what the faster tier is actually buying you.
What NADRA does not charge for
Cancelling a NICOP after the holder has died is free, listed at USD 0 with a one day timeline. Cancellation on surrender of Pakistani nationality costs USD 15 and is offered on Executive only, with a two day timeline.
How to pay, and what your mission will accept
Payment methods are set by each mission, they are not uniform, and turning up with the wrong one costs you the appointment. At the time of checking, Toronto took the NADRA fee by credit card or Visa debit only, and its own consulate charge by debit card only. Los Angeles took the NADRA fee the same way but required its consulate fee by money order or cashier’s check. London’s total includes a bank surcharge, which implies card payment.
Toronto and Los Angeles both state plainly that all fees are non-refundable. That applies whether your application is approved, rejected, or abandoned, so resolve any doubt about your documents before you pay rather than after.
Mistakes that cost applicants money
- Budgeting from NADRA’s zone table. It is the correct published fee and it is not what your mission will bill you. Every mission checked charged more.
- Paying for Executive expecting nine days. Nine days is NADRA’s processing window. Missions quote two weeks end to end, and a manual or Mobile Registration Team application can take six to eight weeks whatever you paid.
- Assuming renewal is cheaper. It is not. New, renewal, modification and duplicate all carry the same fee.
- Treating a name change as a correction. A slight difference is USD 10. A different particular is USD 250 or more in Zone A.
- Arriving with the wrong payment method. Missions split the NADRA fee and their own fee across different accepted methods, and some will not take a card for one of them.
- Expecting a Teslin NICOP. NADRA states that new Teslin based NICOPs are no longer issued. What you will be given is a Smart NICOP, or a NICOP carrying a QR code.
If you have not started your application yet, the step by step process is covered in our guide to applying for NICOP from overseas.
Fees, timelines and validity periods on this page are taken from NADRA’s official fee structure and its NICOP page, both read on 27 August 2026, where the site reported version V3.1.2 last updated 07-07-2026. Mission fees are taken from the published pages of the Pakistan High Commission in London and the Consulates General in Toronto and Los Angeles, read the same day. Mission charges are set locally and change without notice, so treat them as a guide to what to expect and confirm the current figure with your own mission before you pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions about this topic.
Why is my consulate charging more than NADRA published NICOP fee?
Because the two numbers measure different things. NADRA publishes the processing fee alone, USD 39 on Normal for Zone A and USD 20 for Zone B. Your mission bills that plus its own delivery, bank and handling charges. Toronto lists the NADRA portion as USD 65 on Normal, exactly USD 26 above NADRA figure, and charges a separate consulate processing fee on top. London quotes one total of GBP 51.50 and states that it includes a GBP 2 bank surcharge and a GBP 14 delivery charge. Budget for your mission number.
How long does a NICOP really take to arrive?
NADRA publishes 31 days for Normal, 23 for Urgent and 9 for Executive, but that clock covers processing only and starts after your biometrics are captured and your fee clears. The London, Toronto and Los Angeles missions all quote six weeks, four weeks and two weeks respectively, measured end to end including courier delivery. The mission figure is the one you will experience. London adds that manual form based applications, and those taken during a Mobile Registration Team visit, take roughly six to eight weeks whatever priority you paid for.
Is the NICOP renewal fee different from the new application fee?
No. NADRA prices a new Smart NICOP, a renewal, a modification and a duplicate identically. On the Zone A schedule all four cost USD 39 on Normal, USD 57 on Urgent and USD 75 on Executive. There is no discount for renewing rather than applying fresh.
How much does it cost to change my name on a NICOP?
It depends entirely on whether NADRA treats it as a correction or a replacement. Fixing a spelling, or any change to a similar particular, costs USD 10 in both zones. Changing to a genuinely different particular costs USD 250 on Normal and USD 500 on Executive in Zone A countries, and USD 120 or USD 200 in Zone B. Inland the same change runs from PKR 1,000 up to PKR 20,000. Confirm which category your change falls into before paying anything.
Are NICOP fees refundable if my application is rejected?
No. The Toronto and Los Angeles consulates both state plainly that all fees are non refundable. That holds whether the application is approved, rejected or abandoned, so settle any doubt about your documents before you pay rather than afterwards.
Which countries count as Zone A and which as Zone B?
NADRA labels Zone A as USA and Europe and Zone B as Middle East and Africa, but it does not publish a country by country list, and the labels are not literal. Canada is billed at the Zone A rate despite not appearing in the label. If your country is not obviously covered by either description, check the fee published by the Pakistani mission that serves you rather than assuming.
How long is a NICOP valid for?
Ten years for adults, and ten years for minors aged 14 and above. For a minor under 14 the card runs for ten years or until they turn 18, whichever comes first, so a card issued to a young child can expire well before a full ten years. This is worth checking before paying for Executive processing on a child application.
Is there a fee to cancel a NICOP after the holder dies?
No. NADRA lists cancellation due to death at USD 0 with a one day timeline. Cancellation on surrender of Pakistani nationality is different, costing USD 15, offered on Executive priority only, with a two day timeline.
