CNIC Translation (Pakistani ID Card)

CNIC translation for the Home Office: what you receive

A CNIC often looks half-translated already, because some fields are printed in English. In practice the parts caseworkers most need, such as the father's or husband's name and the addresses, are often only in Urdu. A partial translation can leave gaps, so we translate the whole card.

Your NADRA CNIC translation includes:

1. Every field on the front and back, in the same order as the card.
2. The CNIC number and the dates of birth, issue and expiry, copied exactly.
3. Notes for the photo, signature, hologram, QR code and any stamps, for example "[QR code, not translated]".
4. A certification statement confirming it is a "true and accurate translation of the original document", as set out on GOV.UK's certifying a document (opens in a new tab) page, with the date, the translator's full name, signature and contact details. We are members of the ITI, CIOL and ATC.
5. A PDF by email and, if you ask, a printed copy by post.

Sample

Certified translation

Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), Pakistan

Urdu and English → English

Name

redacted

Father's / husband's name

redacted

Gender

redacted

Country of stay

Pakistan

Identity number

redacted

Date of birth

redacted

Date of issue

redacted

Date of expiry

redacted

• [Photograph]
• [Signature: holder]
• [Translator's note: Urdu text is translated in full; English fields are checked against the Urdu.]

Translator's statement

I confirm that this is a true and accurate translation of the original document.

Date

DD/MM/YYYY

Translator

Full name

Signature

CNIC, NICOP and Form B

All three documents are issued by NADRA, Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority. They share the same 13-digit identity number format, so a Pakistani ID card translation often needs to show how one family member's record links to another's.

NICOP translation

A NICOP shows the same identity details as a CNIC. Our NICOP translation keeps the overseas address exactly as printed, even if it mixes English and Urdu. We do not "correct" addresses; we only translate them.

Form B translation

A Form B is often used to show which children belong to which parents. Our Form B translation keeps the table layout, so each child's name, date of birth and identity number stays on the same line as on the original. This matters for family applications where the Home Office checks relationships.

Urdu names and addresses on a CNIC

Urdu is written right to left in the Nastaliq style, and there is no single official way to spell Urdu names in English. "Muhammad", "Mohammad" and "Mohammed" are all common. So is "Ch." for "Chaudhry", and "S/O", "D/O" and "W/O" for "son of", "daughter of" and "wife of".

Our rules for names and addresses:

• Names: if your passport, BRP or eVisa already shows an English spelling, we use it everywhere, so your documents match.
• Relationships: we write "Father's name" or "Husband's name" in full, as the card uses them.
• Addresses: we keep house number, street, mohalla (neighbourhood), village, tehsil and district in their original order.
• Place names: we use the common English spelling of cities, such as "Rawalpindi" or "Gujranwala", and transliterate smaller villages carefully.

If a letter or number is worn away, we write "[illegible]" rather than guess.

Where your translated CNIC is used

A certified CNIC translation can support:

• Asylum claims: proof of identity and nationality for the Home Office. It often goes alongside a FIR translation or other evidence.
• Appeals: documents for the First-tier Tribunal must come with an English translation.
• Family applications: where a refugee is sponsoring family members. New refugee family reunion applications have been paused since 4 September 2025 and remained paused in March 2026, so check GOV.UK for the latest position.
• Settlement and citizenship: ILR, naturalisation and first passport applications.

Our wider guide to ID card translation for asylum explains how other national IDs, such as the Afghan Tazkira, are handled. We translate only; for advice on which documents to submit, speak to a solicitor or an IAA-regulated adviser.

Languages for CNIC translation

Most CNIC entries are in Urdu, with some printed English. Our Urdu asylum document translation team handles CNICs, Nikah Namas and police papers every week.

Family papers from Pakistan are sometimes written in other languages too. We also offer Punjabi asylum document translation for Shahmukhi-script documents. For other papers from the same case, such as court orders, school certificates or party letters, see our Pakistan document translation for asylum page.

CNIC translation price and delivery time

A CNIC, NICOP or Form B is normally priced as a single short document, from £15. If you send several family members' cards together, we quote them in one order.

• Standard delivery: 1 working day
• Urgent delivery: same day or within 24 hours, from £10 extra per document

Prices shown are starting prices and include VAT. We confirm your exact price in a written quote before any work starts.

See our translation prices page for how we charge, then send your card for a free CNIC translation quote. Your photos are uploaded through an encrypted link, handled under UK GDPR and deleted after delivery.