NADRA succession certificate: new chatbot lists papers needed, fees from Rs 10,000

NADRA has launched a chatbot called "ID" on its revamped succession website, succession.nadra.gov.pk, that tells families which documents they need for a succession certificate, Dawn reported on 11 November 2026. NADRA spokesman Syed Shabahat Ali said it runs entirely online, in Urdu and English, on any phone or computer.

What the chatbot does

You answer questions about the deceased, the legal heirs and the assets. It then gives the steps for your case and a checklist of documents. According to Dawn:

• it does not ask for CNIC numbers or other personal details, and no NADRA official is involved
• it tells you which office can handle the case
• it warns early if the matter must go to court, for example when an heir is a minor or the heirs dispute the estate
• it guides heirs abroad to complete biometric verification through the Pak ID facility

NADRA describes it as a reference tool only. Confirm the final requirements with your nearest NADRA registration centre before you go.

Who can use the NADRA route

NADRA has issued succession certificates and letters of administration since 2021, but only in uncontested cases. Dawn lists the conditions:

• all legal heirs agree and there is no dispute
• no heir is a minor or mentally disabled
• the matter is not pending in, or decided by, a court
• the deceased is in NADRA's records and the heirs are registered in the Family Registration Certificate (FRC)
• the applicant holds a valid CNIC, NADRA card or Pakistan Origin Card; the old manual NIC is no longer accepted

A legal heir must visit a NADRA centre in person. In Sindh and Balochistan a lawyer can appear instead.

Documents you need

• death certificate issued by the union council, municipal authority or cantonment board
• receipt for cancellation of the deceased's CNIC and FRC
• copies of the CNICs of all legal heirs
• Schedule-I letter of authorisation, attested by an oath commissioner
• original property documents (photocopies are not accepted)

In some cases you also need extra papers: a search certificate for immovable property in Sindh, a wakalatnama (power of attorney) in Sindh and Balochistan if a lawyer files, and a letter from the relevant department on pension or service dues if the deceased was a government or private employee.

Fees

As reported by Dawn:

Procedures also differ by province and by the deceased's faith and sect. Sindh requires three newspaper advertisements; other jurisdictions require two. Check the fee that applies to your case at the centre, since NADRA's own fee page was not available to us when we wrote this. For other NADRA charges, use the NADRA fee calculator.

What to do if your case is not uncontested

If an heir is a minor or the heirs disagree, the NADRA route does not apply and the matter goes to court, which is what the chatbot is meant to flag early. A lawyer in your province can tell you which court and what papers it needs.