Later this year, NADRA plans to roll out a digital identity wallet using national identity cards

Citizens of Pakistan will soon be able to apply for, store and display a digital version of their national identity card in a digital ID wallet on their smartphone using an updated version of the country’s Pak-ID mobile app.

Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) launched Pak-ID in September 2021, enabling citizens to apply for a physical ID card remotely by using their Android or iOS device to scan supporting documents and capture biometric data including their fingerprint and a photograph of their face to verify their identity.

NADRA now plans to use the same technology to roll out a digital identity wallet via an update of the Pak-ID app that it plans to make available “later this year”.

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“In a short span, 75,000 overseas Pakistanis have processed their national identity cards from the comfort of their homes by using the [Pak-ID] app, which is supported by two-factor authentication,” NADRA’s Tariq Malik told media outlet Dawn News.

“With successful testing on 75,000 overseas Pakistanis, NADRA will go for a digital wallet.

“This innovation will revolutionise the national ID eco-system in Pakistan by ensuring public convenience, and is a leap forward putting an end to the conventional physical ID.

“The digital dividends of such technology innovation will yield positive results in contactless banking, financial inclusion, ease of doing business and e-governance initiatives by offering remote identification and e-KYC.”

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