PAKISTAN · NATIONAL IDENTITY CARD · NADRA
Every CNIC begins with a five-digit code that quietly records where its holder was registered — one digit for the province, then the division, the district, and a local union-council zone. Type a prefix, and the ledger opens.
Every district code has its own page explaining what the digits stand for, which division the district sits in, and which tehsils it covers. The register currently holds 135 district codes and 23 documented local-zone codes.
Plain-English explanations of how a CNIC number is built, what each of its thirteen digits means, which documents NADRA asks for, and how the card types differ.
Sources. Administrative data adapted from Wikipedia (CNIC, Administrative units of Pakistan, Districts of Pakistan) under CC BY-SA 4.0, with changes; prefix mapping cross-checked against public administrative and community-compiled lists. Reviewed 2026-09-02. Full sources, accuracy and ethics. Unofficial reference — not affiliated with NADRA, and not proof of identity or domicile.