How to Apply for National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP)

National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) is the document that is deemed mandatory for Pakistanis who are working or planning to work overseas.

Do you qualify to apply for NICOP? Let’s find out.

In this article, Graana.com, Pakistan’s smartest property portal brings a detailed overview to explain everything regarding this NADRA-issued identity document.

Table of Contents

What is National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP)?

NICOP is issued to eligible Pakistani citizens who are living or planning to move abroad.

Just like NADRA Pakistan Origin Card, dual nationals can also apply for this identity document with whom the Government of Pakistan has a dual nationality arrangement. Parents of children who are born abroad can also apply for NICOP.
However, you have to get the children’s passport number from Pakistan’s embassy in the country of your residence. 

Required Documents for NICOP

When applying for the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis at NADRA Registration Centre, you have to meet the following criteria.

When any one of the parents or blood relatives is present:

• Original/copy of CNIC or NICOP of any one of parents/blood relatives
• Biometric verification of any one of parents or blood relatives on a computerized identity card form

When any one of the parents or blood relatives is a CNIC holder but is not present at the time of application, however, documents are available:

• Presence of applicant
• Original/copy of CNIC or NICOP of any one of the Parents/Blood relatives
• CRC or matric/equivalent certificate OR passport
• Attested Computerized Identity Card Form

When any one of the parents/blood relatives is an ID Cardholder, however, both documents and parents/blood relatives are not available:

• Presence of the applicant
• The original CNIC of Parent’s/Grand Parents or Blood relatives
• Attested Computerized Identity Card Form (CNICF)
• Presence of Biometric Witness of any CNIC holder along with the affidavit (available from NADRA offices and website)

NICOP for System Independent Applicants

• Presence of applicant
• Two CNIC holders for Biometric verification
• Attestation of CNICF

How to Apply for NICOP

There are two ways to apply for National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis; one is by visiting the nearest NADRA registration or mega centres, and the other is through the Pak Identity portal.

How to Apply for NICOP through NADRA Registration Centre

To apply through the registration centre, you need to do the following.

• Visit any nearest NADRA centre and get a token from the counter.
• After getting the token, you will be called for the photograph.
• Once your photograph has been captured, the case officer will take your fingerprints and signatures.
• In the next step, you will have to provide all the information and the relevant documents.
• After that, the case officer will hand over the printed form that you have to get attested from gazetted government officer.
• Once you have gotten the form attested, you need to submit the form to the nearest registration centre.

How to Apply for NICOP through Pak Identity Portal

NADRA has launched the PAK Identity Portal for overseas Pakistanis. With the help of this system, Pakistanis living in the country or abroad can easily apply for NICOP online from any part of the world. Following are the set of instructions for getting this document online.

• Open PAK Identity Portal in the web browser and create an account. If you already have the account then just enter the account credentials to log in.

• To create an account, you need to enter all the required information such as your full name, mobile number, email ID etc.
• Once you have added all the information, you will receive a verification code via email or SMS. 
• After entering the code, your account will be created.
• Now log in to your account and click on NICOP. 

• In the next step, you will get four different categories, new, ‘NICOP renewal’, ‘NICOP cancellation’, and ‘modification’. Choose the relevant category and move to the next step.
• Enter all the relevant information and attach all the relevant documents. You also have to pay the registration fee via credit/debit card.
• After submitting the application form, the card will be delivered to the given address in a few days.

You can also check NICOP status via this portal. Moreover, NADRA will notify you regarding this document via email or SMS.

NICOP Application Fee

NADRA has divided the countries into two zones and you can get all the details regarding the fee from NADRA’s official website.

However, for your convenience, below is the list of fees for different categories below. 

NICOP FEE FOR ‘ZONE A’ COUNTRIES

NICOP FEE FOR ‘ZONE B’ COUNTRIES

Benefits of NICOP

NICOP holders can enjoy different benefits among which,  some of them are listed below.

• Visa-free entry into Pakistan
• Ability to cast vote in the elections
• Ability to open or operate a bank account
• Allows overseas Pakistanis to invest in real estate

If you’re looking for more informational guides, visit our blog at Graana blog.