Pakistan formalizes women's right to keep father's name on ID cards

Pakistan’s federal cabinet has approved key reforms to its national identity card system, formally allowing married women to retain their father’s name on official documents.

The changes, endorsed Monday by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, amend the National Identity Card Rules of 2002 and are part of wider efforts to improve gender equality in the country.

The update codifies a common practice that had been informally followed since 2021, when the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) stopped requiring married women to adopt their husband's name on Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs).

Until now, however, Pakistan’s passport office continued to insist on the husband's name for issuing travel documents, creating confusion and administrative hurdles.

That inconsistency was addressed in a June 2024 ruling by the Lahore High Court, which ordered immigration authorities to harmonize documentation rules within three months.

Expanding access to identity

The cabinet also approved steps to improve access for millions of Pakistanis who remain unregistered.

New low-cost identity cards—without electronic chips but with QR codes and bilingual information in English and Urdu—will be introduced to encourage registration among low-income citizens.

Pakistan has an estimated 12 million undocumented people who lack access to basic services because they are not in the national ID database.

Additional reforms require that new Child Registration Certificates include photographs for passport applications. Existing certificates will remain valid for other services.

Regional review boards will now be required to issue decisions within 30 days after documentation is submitted.

A CNIC is mandatory in Pakistan for voting, banking, travel, and SIM card registration, making access to one a critical part of everyday life.