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Pakistan origin card photo requirements

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

Based on 4 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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What are the Pakistan origin card photo requirements?

You do not supply a photo for a Pakistan Origin Card. NADRA takes it when you apply: at a registration centre or Pakistan mission, or through the live camera step in the PakID app, against a plain or white background and without glasses or a hat. Only a POC for a child under 3, such as the dependent child of a foreign spouse, can use an uploaded picture.

The Pakistan Origin Card (POC) is a NADRA card for foreign nationals of Pakistani origin, issued under Section 11 of the NADRA Ordinance, 2000. It covers former Pakistani citizens, foreigners whose parents or grandparents were Pakistani, foreign spouses of Pakistani citizens or people of Pakistani origin, and the dependent children of such spouses. Citizens of India, Israel and countries Pakistan does not recognise are not eligible to apply. While it is valid the card allows visa-free entry and an indefinite stay, and it lets holders own property, but NADRA stresses that it is not proof of Pakistani citizenship.

The photograph is never something you bring along. A new POC at a NADRA Registration Centre follows a fixed sequence: token, then photographs and fingerprints captured by NADRA, data entry, attestation of the form by a CNIC, NICOP or POC holder, an interview, approval and the fee. Renewal, update and reprint applications repeat the capture step. Missions that offer NADRA services work the same way; the Consulate General in Los Angeles takes POC applications by appointment.

PakID, NADRA's mobile app, handles fresh POC applications, renewals and modifications. There the picture is shot live with your phone's camera during the application, so no millimetre or pixel size is published. NADRA allows a gallery upload only for minors below 3 years of age, which matters for a baby who qualifies as a dependent child.

Pakistan origin card photo size and specifications

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

Print sizeNone set: the POC photo is taken by NADRA staff or captured live in the PakID app
Digital sizeNot applicable from age 3; children under 3 may upload a photo in PakID (no size published)
BackgroundPlain or white (PakID photo-capture guidance)
Photo ageTaken at the time of application
Print qualityNot applicable: no printed photo is handed in

Key requirements

  • Two capture points

    A POC picture comes either from the camera at a NADRA Registration Centre or mission counter, or from the live-capture step in PakID. Nothing you print or save beforehand is used for an applicant aged 3 or over.

  • No gallery uploads from age 3

    PakID only offers its upload button for minors below 3 years; older applicants must take the photograph live when the app reaches that step.

  • Unobstructed face

    NADRA's capture advice rules out shadows on the face, hair over the eyes and anything blocking the view of the face, and asks for a plain or white background behind you.

  • Every renewal is a new capture

    Renewal, update and reprint applications at a centre include a fresh capture of photographs and fingerprints. A POC first issued before 2008 needs the full documents of a new application when it is renewed.

  • Attestation before approval

    After the photo and fingerprints, the POC form must be attested by any CNIC, NICOP or POC holder, and the officer in charge interviews you before approving the card.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Book an appointment if you apply at a mission.
  • Have a plain or white wall behind you for the app photo.
  • Light your face evenly from the front.
  • Show your whole face, forehead to chin.
  • Bring your foreign passport and proof of Pakistani origin.

Don't

  • Do not prepare printed photos: they are not used.
  • Do not wear glasses or artificial lenses for the capture.
  • Do not keep a fashion hat or cap that covers your face.
  • Do not upload a picture from your gallery unless the child is under 3.
  • Do not apply if you are a national of a country excluded from the POC.

Glasses

Remove glasses before the live photo. NADRA's photo-capture advice for PakID names glasses and artificial lenses, together with hats, as things to avoid because they can hide the face. The advice applies to every document made through the app, the POC included.

At a registration centre or mission the operator captures the picture, and NADRA has not published a separate glasses rule for those desks.

Headwear and religious dress

A hijab or abaya may be worn if the forehead and the whole face down to the chin stay clearly visible. Men may wear a cap or turban when the complete face shows.

Any other hat should be taken off, since NADRA lists hats among the things that obscure the face in a photo.

Babies and children

A dependent child of the foreign spouse of a Pakistani citizen or person of Pakistani origin is eligible for a POC. A child's application is made by a parent, at a centre or mission or through the PakID app.

For a child under 3 the app lets the parent upload a photograph instead of capturing one live; NADRA gives no size for that upload. From age 3 a child takes a live photo just as an adult does, and at a centre the child is photographed at the counter.

The POC has no printed-photo stage at all. At a centre or mission the picture is taken by NADRA's own camera, and in PakID it is shot live through the app, so a print or a ready-made digital file plays no part for anyone aged 3 or over.

The only prepared file NADRA accepts is the upload for a child under 3. NADRA does not publish pixel dimensions or a file limit for it; use a recent, sharp picture of the child alone on a plain or white background, the background NADRA asks for in app photos.

Where to submit the photo

Apply at a NADRA Registration Centre in Pakistan, a NADRA centre abroad, or a Pakistan mission that provides NADRA services; the Consulate General of Pakistan in Los Angeles, for example, books POC appointments and lists separate document sets for origin-based and spouse-based cases.

Online, PakID covers fresh POC applications, renewals and modifications; once NADRA approves the application, the app asks for the fee, payable by credit or debit card. The card comes by courier; abroad, a card the courier cannot deliver goes to the nearest Pakistan embassy or mission.

How to get your Pakistan origin card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Pakistan origin card: plain or white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two capture points; no gallery uploads from age 3; unobstructed face; every renewal is a new capture.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The POC has no printed-photo stage at all. At a centre or mission the picture is taken by NADRA's own camera, and in PakID it is shot live through the app, so a print or a ready-made digital file plays no part for anyone aged 3 or over.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply at a NADRA Registration Centre in Pakistan, a NADRA centre abroad, or a Pakistan mission that provides NADRA services; the Consulate General of Pakistan in Los Angeles, for example, books POC appointments and lists separate document sets for…

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Pakistan origin card photo FAQ

None. NADRA captures the POC photo itself, at a registration centre or Pakistan mission, or through the live photo step of the PakID app, so there is no size in millimetres or pixels to meet. Bring yourself, not a print.

You can apply online through PakID, but applicants aged 3 and over cannot upload a photo file. NADRA allows uploads only for children under 3; everyone else captures a live photo in the app against a plain or white background.

Former Pakistani citizens, foreign nationals whose parents or grandparents were Pakistani, foreign spouses of Pakistani citizens and their dependent children. Nationals of India, Israel and countries not recognised by Pakistan cannot apply.

Take glasses off: NADRA says to avoid glasses and artificial lenses. A hijab or abaya is fine if the forehead and full face to the chin are visible, and men may wear a cap or turban with the whole face showing.

Yes. NADRA says a POC holder can enter Pakistan without a visa and stay indefinitely while the card is valid. The card is not proof of Pakistani citizenship, though.

Apply for an update or modification at a NADRA centre or in PakID. Photographs and fingerprints are captured again as part of the application, so the new card carries a current picture.

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Official sources

  1. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). Pakistan Origin Card (POC / Smart POC) 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). About PakID nadra.gov.pk. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Consulate General of Pakistan, Los Angeles. NADRA Services: Pakistan Origin Card 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.

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

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