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Pakistan ID card photo requirements

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

Based on 5 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What are the Pakistan ID card photo requirements?

There is no photo size to prepare for a Pakistani CNIC or NICOP. NADRA photographs you at a registration centre, a Pakistan mission or a mobile van, or you take a live photo inside the PakID app against a plain or white background, without glasses or a hat. A photo you upload is accepted only for a child under 3, for example a baby's NICOP filed by a parent.

The Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) and the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) are issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). The CNIC is for citizens aged 18 and over, in or out of Pakistan; the NICOP is for Pakistanis living abroad, including dual nationals and children born overseas, and gives visa-free entry into Pakistan. Both carry a photograph that NADRA records itself. In NADRA's words, photograph capture is mandatory for processing identity cards, and a CNIC is not issued to someone who refuses it.

There are two ways the photo is taken. At a NADRA Registration Centre (NRC), a Pakistan mission abroad or a Mobile Registration Van, staff capture your photographs and fingerprints after you get your token. In the PakID mobile app, you fill in the form, verify yourself by fingerprints or face, and then capture a live photograph that will be printed on the card. The app does not let adults pick a picture from the phone gallery: NADRA says the upload option exists only for minors below 3 years of age.

So for most applicants a photo printed or saved in advance has no use. Young children are the exception. A parent can apply for a baby's NICOP from their own PakID account with an uploaded photo, and the Consulate General of Pakistan in Los Angeles accepts a recent digital photo for infants under 18 months, who then need not attend.

Pakistan ID card photo size and specifications

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

Print sizeNo print size: NADRA captures the photo at its centres, missions and vans, or live in the PakID app
Digital sizeNo file from applicants aged 3 and over; PakID upload only for children under 3 (no pixel size published)
BackgroundPlain or white background (PakID live capture)
Photo ageCaptured live during the application
Print qualityNo print: the card photo comes from NADRA's own capture

Key requirements

  • Photo capture is compulsory

    NADRA will not process an identity card without a photograph, and a CNIC is refused if the applicant will not be photographed for personal reasons.

  • Live photo in PakID

    Adults take a live photo at the app's photo step; NADRA presents real-time photo capture meeting ICAO standards as a core PakID feature. A gallery upload is offered only for children under 3.

  • Plain background, clear face

    For the app photo, NADRA asks for a plain or white background, no shadows on the face, no hair across the eyes and nothing blocking the view of the face.

  • Straight posture

    Sit or stand straight and look straight at the camera when the app takes your photo.

  • First CNIC needs a centre visit

    A first CNIC can be started in PakID only through a blood relative's account, and the applicant and that relative must then visit a NADRA centre to complete the remaining steps, where photographs and fingerprints are captured.

  • Changing the card photo

    To replace the picture, apply under Update / Modify. NADRA lists the photograph among the details that can be changed on both the Smart ID and the Smart NICOP, at a centre or through PakID.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Stand in front of a plain or white wall for the PakID photo.
  • Use even light so no shadows fall on your face.
  • Keep a straight posture and look into the camera.
  • Keep your forehead and chin visible if you wear a hijab.
  • Visit a NADRA centre if the app tells you to.
  • Upload a recent photo only for a child under 3.

Don't

  • Do not try to upload a ready-made photo for anyone aged 3 or over.
  • Do not wear glasses or artificial lenses.
  • Do not wear a hat that hides part of your face.
  • Do not let hair fall across your eyes.
  • Do not refuse the photograph: the card cannot be issued without it.

Glasses

Glasses come off. NADRA's guidance for the PakID live photo tells applicants to avoid hats, artificial lenses, glasses or anything else that obscures the face.

At registration centres, missions and mobile vans the photo is captured by NADRA staff, and NADRA publishes no separate glasses rule for those counters.

Headwear and religious dress

Women may be photographed in a hijab or abaya as long as the forehead and the complete face, including the chin, are clearly visible. Men may keep a cap or turban on if the complete face is visible.

Other hats should come off: NADRA names hats, together with glasses and artificial lenses, among the things to avoid when the photo is captured.

Babies and children

Children do not hold a CNIC; until 18 they are registered on a Child Registration Certificate (CRC) or a Juvenile Card. A minor can, however, hold a NICOP. At a centre a parent or sibling must come with the child; through PakID a parent or sibling can apply from their own account. For a child's NICOP, fingerprints and a signature are needed from age 10, not below.

Babies are the one case where you supply the picture. PakID offers a photo upload for children under 3, and the Consulate General of Pakistan in Los Angeles says a recent digital photo is acceptable for infants under 18 months, who then need not be present. NADRA publishes no pixel size for these uploads; the plain or white background rule for app photos still applies.

Neither card uses a printed photo. The picture on a CNIC or NICOP comes from NADRA's own capture: a camera at the registration centre, mission counter or mobile van, or your phone's camera inside the PakID app, which takes the shot live rather than from the gallery. That is why NADRA sets no millimetre or pixel size for applicants.

A digital photo you prepare yourself can only be used in the under-3 upload, for example a baby's NICOP filed by a parent. NADRA does not publish a size for that file either.

Where to submit the photo

In Pakistan, apply at any NADRA Registration Centre; people in remote areas can ask NADRA to schedule a Mobile Registration Van visit. Abroad, apply at a NADRA centre abroad or at a Pakistan embassy or consulate that offers NADRA services: the Consulate General in Los Angeles works by appointment and requires personal appearance for live photo and biometric capture.

Online, the PakID app on Android or iOS handles NICOP applications of every kind and CNIC renewal, modification and reprint. Cards are delivered by courier, at home in Pakistan or abroad.

How to get your Pakistan ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Pakistan ID card: plain or white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: photo capture is compulsory; live photo in PakID; plain background, clear face; straight posture.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Neither card uses a printed photo.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Pakistan, apply at any NADRA Registration Centre; people in remote areas can ask NADRA to schedule a Mobile Registration Van visit.

Make this photo online

Pakistan ID card photo FAQ

NADRA does not ask for one. The CNIC photo is captured by NADRA at a registration centre, mission or mobile van, or as a live photo inside the PakID app, so there is no print or file size to prepare. The capture guidance asks for a plain or white background, no glasses or hat, and a straight look at the camera.

Only for a child under 3. NADRA says the upload option is available only for minors below 3 years of age; everyone else must capture a live photograph at the photo step of the app.

Yes. Women may be photographed in a hijab or abaya provided the forehead and the complete face, including the chin, are clearly visible. Men may wear a cap or turban if the complete face is visible.

No. NADRA's PakID guidance tells applicants to avoid glasses and artificial lenses, along with hats or anything else that hides the face, when the photograph is captured.

Apply under the Update / Modify category. NADRA lists the photograph among the details that can be changed on a Smart ID or Smart NICOP. At a centre a new photo is captured at the counter; in PakID you capture a new live photo.

The Consulate General of Pakistan in Los Angeles says a recent digital photo is acceptable for infants under 18 months, and the baby does not have to attend. In PakID, a parent can upload a photo for any child under 3. Older children are photographed live.

No. NADRA states that photograph capture is mandatory for processing identity cards, and a CNIC cannot be issued if a citizen refuses for personal reasons. Women who wear a hijab can keep it on as long as the forehead and full face show.

Related photo specifications

Other Pakistan documents

Identity cards nearby

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Official sources

  1. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) nadra.gov.pk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). NIC for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP / Smart NICOP) nadra.gov.pk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). PakID FAQs nadra.gov.pk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). About PakID nadra.gov.pk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Consulate General of Pakistan, Los Angeles. NADRA Services pakconsulatela.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.

Cite this page

"Pakistan ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/pakistan/id-card-photo

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