ISLAMABAD: More than 337,000 pensioners have obtained their Proof of Life Certificate (PoLC) since its launch by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Aug 20, 2026, according to official data.
Giving a breakdown of the facility’s usage, Nadra said 174,906 pensioners (52 per cent) had obtained the certificate through the Pak ID app from home, 134,521 (40pc) through Nadra Registration Centres, 24,248 (7pc) through e-Sahulat centres and 3,585 (1pc) through mobile registration vans.
The authority said around 52pc of pensioners had availed themselves of the facility online through the Pak ID app, while other service channels, including registration centres, e-Sahulat centres and mobile vans, remained available.
Pensioners can use the online facility or visit the nearest Nadra service channel, according to their convenience, for proof of life, it said.
Pensioners can get Nadra document free of charge
Nadra said certain elements were deliberately misleading pensioners and urged them not to pay heed to such rumours. In case of any complaint, pensioners should contact the Nadra helpline, their nearest Nadra office or an e-Sahulat centre. If a CNIC number is not included in the list of pensioners, the concerned department should be contacted, it added.
On Aug 20, Nadra made the PoLC free of charge for pensioners and expanded access to the document through multiple channels across the country, including the Pak ID mobile app, registration centres, union councils and e-Sahulat franchises.
The initiative was taken on the special directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence, Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and Military Accountant General (MAG).
A PoLC is an official document that verifies that a pensioner is alive. According to Nadra, the easiest option is the Pak ID mobile application, through which eligible pensioners can obtain the certificate digitally from home. An immediate family member can also obtain the certificate on behalf of a pensioner through their own Pak ID account, subject to the prescribed identity-verification process.
For those preferring assisted services, the certificate is available free of charge at more than 5,000 e-Sahulat franchises. It is also available at more than 988 Nadra Registration Centres and 500 Union Councils, where pensioners are given preferential service without having to wait in the regular queue.
For pensioners unable to reach a service point, Nadra said the facility was also available through mobile registration vans, biker services and ManPack registration services, which cater to citizens with limited mobility or limited access to service points.
The PoLC service is part of a wider reform under which Nadra has established a National Pensioners Register. In Phase I, pensioners administered by the CGA and MAG have been brought onto the register to provide an authenticated digital reference for identity and life-status verification. A separate verification service has also been made available to banks, allowing authorised banks to check a pensioner’s proof-of-life status directly through the National Pensioners Register. Nadra said this would provide a digital channel for pension disbursement and reduce reliance on repeated physical or paper-based verification.
Nadra said the register was planned to be expanded in the next phase to include pensioners from other federal and provincial government organisations, public-sector bodies and private institutions after agreements and institutional arrangements were concluded.
Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2026
