NADRA
Last Updated: October 2026
A polio or yellow fever certificate for travel comes from the National Immunization Management System (NIMS), which NADRA built with the Ministry of Health. You are vaccinated at a vaccination centre, the centre enters the vaccination into NIMS, and you then download the certificate from nims.nadra.gov.pk for a fee of PKR 100, paid by debit or credit card or at an e-Sahulat franchise. The vaccine itself is free. NADRA issues the certificate; it does not vaccinate you and does not set which countries require one.
This guide uses the NIMS portal and its FAQ, NADRA’s Domestic Projects page and the Ministry of National Health Services’ statement on the polio and yellow fever certificates, read on 16 October 2026, and news reports of the September 2026 Umrah rule at Karachi airport, for which we found no official notice online. We did not request a certificate.
Who does what
| Who | Their part |
|---|---|
| The vaccination centre | Gives the vaccine and enters it into the NIMS portal. The Ministry of Health says polio and yellow fever data is entered at the vaccine centres directly into NIMS. |
| NADRA | Runs NIMS and issues the certificate. NADRA’s project page counts 4.7 million polio and 32,302 yellow fever certificates, among 42.5 million vaccination certificates in all. |
| Ministry of National Health Services and Border Health Services | Set the vaccination requirement for travellers. A September 2026 Border Health Services clarification, as reported, said NADRA’s role is limited to registering vaccinations and issuing certificates. |
How to get the certificate
- Get vaccinated at a centre that records into NIMS. Without the centre’s entry there is nothing for the portal to find.
- Open nims.nadra.gov.pk and choose Other Vaccination (Polio, Yellow Fever). The portal’s other option is COVID-19 Vaccination.
- Enter your details. The form asks for your ID card number (or Afghan PoR number), whether you are a CRC holder, the CNIC issue date, the vaccine, your mobile number and network, and a security code.
- Pay the PKR 100 fee by debit or credit card, or at an e-Sahulat franchise.
- Download the certificate. NIMS also says a certificate can be obtained at a NADRA centre.
The Ministry of Health says the fee is charged only once. The NIMS FAQ says the vaccine is provided free by the Government of Pakistan. Our e-Sahulat guide explains how to find a franchise if you would rather not pay by card.
Important: the certificate can only show a vaccination the centre has entered into NIMS. If the portal cannot find yours, the record has to be added at the vaccination centre, so go back there rather than to a NADRA counter.
For foreign nationals
The Other Vaccination page carries a separate link to download the immunisation certificate for polio or yellow fever for a foreign national. We could not open it, because the portal’s session expired when we followed it.
The September 2026 Umrah rule at Karachi
We found no official notice online, so this section rests on news reports:
- The directive. Arab News reported on 12 September 2026 that the Airport Health Department of Border Health Services, in a letter of 7 September, said no passenger would be allowed to travel without NADRA-integrated vaccination proof after 14 September 2026, for polio, meningitis, yellow fever and influenza. It named the Federal Government Civil Dispensary as the authorised vaccination centre for Hajj and Umrah travellers.
- The scope. ProPakistani reported on 15 September that Border Health Services clarified the requirement then applied only to passengers flying from Karachi to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, and not to other destinations or airports. Passengers register and complete biometric verification through the PakID app or an e-Sahulat franchise, pay the fee, are vaccinated at the counter at Karachi airport, and then download the certificate from NIMS.
- The extension. Geo reported on 14 September that the deadline was extended to 25 September, with the requirement to apply first at Karachi and then at Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore.
We found no report of what applied after 25 September. Check with Border Health Services or your airline before you travel. If biometric verification in the app fails, our guide to failed PakID fingerprint checks covers what NADRA says to do.
What we could not confirm
- The Border Health Services notices themselves. We read only news reports of them.
- The rule after 25 September 2026, and its dates at Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore.
- Which countries require a polio certificate. The Ministry of Health says polio and yellow fever vaccination is required by some countries, without listing them.
- The foreign national download. The link expired when we tried it.
- How to correct a certificate. NIMS does not explain it on the pages we read.
Common mistakes
- Expecting NADRA to vaccinate you. NADRA issues the certificate. A vaccination centre gives the vaccine.
- Leaving the certificate to the airport. The Karachi reports advised registering, verifying and paying before reaching the airport.
- Paying for the vaccine. NIMS says the vaccine is free. The PKR 100 is for the certificate.
- Using a site other than nims.nadra.gov.pk. NADRA says only subdomains of its own domain are official.
- Assuming the Karachi rule covers every airport. As reported, it applied first at Karachi for Umrah.
Sources: the form, the options, the fee, the payment methods and the FAQ from the NIMS portal (version 3.0.9); the project, its partners and its figures from NADRA’s Domestic Projects page; the data entry and one-time fee from the Ministry of National Health Services; and the Karachi rule from Arab News, ProPakistani and Geo. All read on 16 October 2026. Travel health rules can change without notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions about this topic.
How do I download my polio vaccination certificate?
Go to nims.nadra.gov.pk, choose Other Vaccination (Polio, Yellow Fever), enter your ID card number, CNIC issue date, the vaccine and your mobile number, and pay the PKR 100 fee by debit or credit card or at an e-Sahulat franchise. The vaccination must already have been entered into NIMS by the centre that gave it.
How much does the NIMS vaccination certificate cost?
PKR 100, according to the NIMS FAQ. The Ministry of Health says the fee is charged only once. The vaccine itself is provided free by the Government of Pakistan.
Does NADRA give the polio vaccine?
No. A vaccination centre gives the vaccine and enters it into NIMS. NADRA runs NIMS and issues the certificate.
Why can’t NIMS find my vaccination?
The certificate can only show a vaccination that the centre has entered into NIMS. The Ministry of Health says polio and yellow fever data is entered at the vaccine centres directly into the portal, so ask the centre that vaccinated you to check its entry.
Can I get the certificate at a NADRA centre?
Yes. The NIMS FAQ says a vaccination certificate can be obtained from a NADRA centre or from nims.nadra.gov.pk.
Do I need a NIMS certificate for Umrah?
News reports say that from September 2026 Border Health Services required NADRA-integrated vaccination proof for passengers flying from Karachi to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, covering polio, meningitis, yellow fever and influenza, with the deadline extended to 25 September. We found no official notice online, so check with Border Health Services or your airline.
Is the requirement the same at every airport?
Not as reported in September 2026. ProPakistani reported that Border Health Services said it applied only to Karachi to Saudi Arabia Umrah flights, and Geo reported that Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore would follow later.
Can a foreign national get a NIMS certificate?
The NIMS portal has a separate link to download a polio or yellow fever certificate for a foreign national. We could not open it because the session expired.
Is the NIMS certificate the same as the COVID-19 certificate?
They come from the same system. The NIMS portal offers COVID-19 Vaccination and Other Vaccination (Polio, Yellow Fever) as separate options.
