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Pakistan family registration certificate photo requirements

The photo rules set by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for the Pakistan family registration certificate, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 6 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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What are the Pakistan family registration certificate photo requirements?

A NADRA Family Registration Certificate (FRC) has no published photo size. NADRA asks for a photograph of the applicant and of every family member under 18 who holds a Child Registration Certificate (CRC, or B-Form) or a Juvenile Card. At a NADRA centre, a child whose CRC was issued without a photo is photographed there. Missions vary: the Houston consulate asks for passport-size prints with a white background.

NADRA issues the Family Registration Certificate under Rule 19 of the NADRA (NIC) Rules, 2002. It sets out the family composition data that NADRA holds for a registered person, and it is mostly used for immigration, visa applications and other legal or administrative purposes. NADRA offers it by marriage, or by birth, marriage and adoption, and one person may hold several. It is not proof of Pakistani nationality. It has no expiry date, but a fresh one is needed whenever a family member's record changes.

Every member shown must already be registered with a 13-digit NADRA number, although deceased relatives, and in some cases unregistered living ones, can be added from the applicant's information. The applicant supplies only their own 13-digit number, from a CRC, Juvenile Card, CNIC, NICOP or Pakistan Origin Card.

The photo rule is short. NADRA's PakID FAQ asks for the applicant's own photograph and for photographs of all members under 18 who hold a CRC or Juvenile Card. At a NADRA Registration Centre, the step list includes photographing any child whose CRC was issued without a photo, straight after biometric verification. Pakistan missions abroad word the rule in their own ways, and at least one wants printed photos.

Pakistan family registration certificate photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA):[1]

Print sizeNo size published by NADRA; the Houston consulate asks for passport-size prints, with no dimensions given
Digital sizeNo pixel or file size published; PakID accepts an uploaded photo only for children under 3
BackgroundPlain or white (NADRA PakID guidance); white for prints at the Houston consulate
Print qualityPrints only where a mission asks for them; NADRA centres photograph children at the counter

Key requirements

  • Applicant and under-18s

    NADRA wants the applicant's own photograph and one of each family member under 18 who holds a CRC or Juvenile Card. Its FRC answer names no other photos.

  • Children without a CRC photo

    A CRC for a child under 3 can be issued with no picture. When the FRC is applied for at a NADRA Registration Centre, the process includes photographing children whose CRC has no photo.

  • Register the child first

    A child appears on the FRC only after getting a CRC, Juvenile Card or NICOP. All real children from all spouses are shown; stepchildren are not. A foreign spouse appears only with a valid Pakistan Origin Card.

  • Correct the record, not the certificate

    FRC data cannot be edited on its own. A missing spouse, an ex-spouse still listed or a sibling "not found in family tree" is fixed in the underlying CNIC or NICOP record, and a new FRC is issued afterwards.

  • Some missions want prints

    The Consulate General in Houston asks for copies of CNIC or NICOP and passport-size photos with a white background of the family members concerned. Los Angeles and Toronto list photos of the applicant and of members under 18.

  • Delivered as a PDF

    The FRC comes by email in PDF format, usually 1 to 2 days after approval, or can be downloaded in PakID. NADRA does not send it by courier; a centre prints it and hands it over.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Collect each family member's 13-digit NADRA number before you apply.
  • Make sure every child already has a CRC, Juvenile Card or NICOP.
  • Take children whose CRC has no photo to the centre with you.
  • Use a white background for any prints a mission asks for.
  • Update your marital status with NADRA before an FRC by marriage.
  • Check your spam folder if the emailed FRC does not arrive.

Don't

  • Do not apply before a child is registered with NADRA.
  • Do not wear glasses or a hat for a photo captured in PakID.
  • Do not upload a saved photo for anyone aged 3 or over.
  • Do not try to edit FRC data directly: fix the NADRA record.
  • Do not wait for a courier: the FRC is emailed or downloaded.

Glasses

The FRC rules themselves say nothing about glasses. If your photograph is taken through PakID, NADRA's capture tips apply: avoid glasses and artificial lenses, keep shadows off your face and look straight into the camera.

For printed photos handed in at a mission, the Houston consulate sets only a passport size and a white background. Taking glasses off is the simplest way to meet NADRA's app guidance as well.

Headwear and religious dress

For a photo taken in PakID, NADRA lets women keep a hijab or abaya on, provided the forehead, the face and the chin are all in view; men may keep headgear such as a cap or turban, provided nothing of the face is hidden. Fashion hats should come off, since NADRA lists hats among the things to avoid.

No FRC-specific rule on head coverings is published by NADRA or by the missions read for this page.

Babies and children

Most of the FRC photo rule is about children. Each under-18 on the certificate must first hold a CRC, Juvenile Card or NICOP, and NADRA wants a photograph of every under-18 CRC or Juvenile Card holder. A CRC for a child below 3 can be issued without biometrics, so a young child may have no picture on record; at a NADRA centre, children in that position are photographed during the FRC application.

In PakID, a photo file is accepted only for a child under 3; from 3 the photo is taken live. NADRA publishes no size for either, only its tips: a plain or white background, nothing covering the face and the child looking straight at the camera.

NADRA itself works without prints. Photos are taken at the centre or in PakID, and the finished FRC is a PDF sent by email or downloaded from the app; NADRA's FAQ says courier delivery is not available.

Printed photos come into play only where a mission asks for them. The Consulate General in Houston wants passport-size photos with a white background of the family members concerned, without giving a size in millimetres. The consulates in Los Angeles and Toronto say a photograph is required of the applicant and of members under 18, without saying whether they mean a print. If prints are needed, they can be made from a digital photo on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

In Pakistan, apply at a NADRA Registration Centre. The counter issues a token, verifies biometrics, photographs any children whose CRC lacks a photo, downloads and reviews the family data, takes the fee and prints the FRC. You can also apply in PakID and receive the certificate as a PDF.

Abroad, Pakistan missions with NADRA services take FRC applications by appointment. The consulates in Los Angeles and Toronto offer two kinds, based on parents and siblings or on spouse and children, ask for the 13-digit numbers and correct name spellings of the members, and say the FRC arrives by email within 1 to 2 working days.

How to get your Pakistan family registration certificate photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Pakistan family registration certificate: plain or white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: applicant and under-18s; children without a CRC photo; register the child first; correct the record, not the certificate.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. NADRA itself works without prints. Photos are taken at the centre or in PakID, and the finished FRC is a PDF sent by email or downloaded from the app; NADRA's FAQ says courier delivery is not available.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Pakistan, apply at a NADRA Registration Centre. The counter issues a token, verifies biometrics, photographs any children whose CRC lacks a photo, downloads and reviews the family data, takes the fee and prints the FRC.

Make this photo online

Pakistan family registration certificate photo FAQ

Yes. NADRA's PakID FAQ says you must provide your own photograph as the applicant, plus photographs of all members of the FRC who are under 18 and hold a CRC or Juvenile Card. Members with a CNIC or NICOP are not named in that answer.

NADRA does not publish a size. Photos are taken at a NADRA centre or in the PakID app, where a file upload is accepted only for children under 3. The Houston consulate asks for passport-size prints with a white background but gives no dimensions.

Yes. A CRC (B-Form) for a child under 3 can be issued without a picture. When you apply at a NADRA Registration Centre, the FRC steps include photographing children whose CRC was issued without a photo, so bring the child along.

Family members registered with NADRA under a 13-digit number, linked to the applicant in NADRA's records. All real children from all spouses are shown, but not stepchildren. A deceased member can appear if their record exists, and a foreign spouse only with a valid Pakistan Origin Card.

By email, as a PDF, usually 1 to 2 days after your application is approved. You can also download it in the PakID app. NADRA does not deliver FRCs by courier. At a NADRA centre the FRC is printed and handed over.

Not as such. NADRA says the FRC does not technically expire, but a new one must be processed if anything changes in a family member's record. FRC data cannot be edited directly, so the change is made in NADRA's record first.

It depends on the mission. The Consulate General in Houston asks for copies of CNIC or NICOP and passport-size photos with a white background of the family members concerned. Los Angeles and Toronto say a photograph is required of the applicant and of members under 18. Check your own mission's list before the appointment.

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Official sources

  1. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). Family Registration Certificate nadra.gov.pk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). PakID FAQs nadra.gov.pk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). Child Registration Certificate (CRC) / Juvenile Card nadra.gov.pk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Consulate General of Pakistan, Los Angeles. NADRA Services: Family Registration Certificate pakconsulatela.org. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Consulate General of Pakistan, Toronto. Family Registration Certificate pakconsulate.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Consulate General of Pakistan, Houston. NADRA Facilitation Desk pakistanconsulatehouston.org. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

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"Pakistan family registration certificate photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/pakistan/family-registration-certificate-photo

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