The federal government has removed commercial banks from the administrative process of biometric verification and proof of life certification for pensioners, shifting the verification process to the National Database and Registration Authority under revised procedures issued by the Ministry of Finance.
Under the new system, NADRA will transmit pensioners’ digital life signals directly to the Controller General of Accounts and Military Accountant General through a secure application programming interface. Commercial banks will now act only as pension disbursement agencies and will not normally be responsible for verifying, collecting, retaining or validating proof of life certificates or biometric data.
The government has also ordered banks not to mark pension accounts as dormant for the purpose of processing or disbursing pensions. Standard bank dormancy requirements will not apply to pension accounts under the revised procedures, which supersede the previous standard operating procedures.
The revised system also abolishes the physical Disburser’s Half process previously used for pension payments. Federal pensions will instead be paid exclusively through the Direct Credit System. The procedures were prepared in consultation with the State Bank of Pakistan, Accountant General Offices, NADRA and the Ministry of Finance.
Pensioners will be able to complete proof of life verification through the NADRA PakID mobile application and authorized NADRA channels, including Registration Centers, Mobile Units, e Sahulat franchises and bank branches operating specifically as NADRA proof of life centers. Verification will be required once every six months or 180 days, replacing the fixed March and September schedule.
Banks will not be permitted to require pensioners to visit branches for routine proof of life verification, collect physical life certificates or biometric information, or impose debit restrictions because a proof of life certificate has not been submitted to the bank. Pension accounts must also be opened only in the name of the pensioner or eligible family pensioner, with joint accounts prohibited.
The government has also introduced procedures for pensioners who cannot use digital channels because of limited digital access, advanced age or debilitating medical conditions. Such pensioners, as well as certain family pensioners whose marital or remarriage information is not updated in NADRA records, may submit manual forms through designated District Accounts Offices or Pension Facilitation Centres under the CGA or MAG. Commercial banks will not be allowed to process these forms directly.
The revised procedures also require pension rolls to be generated by the 24th and verified by the 26th of each month for execution through the State Bank of Pakistan’s RAAST or other micropayment channels. The system will be subject to quarterly audits and reconciliation of NADRA records with accounts office and bank data.
Banks have been directed to reactivate pension accounts that were marked dormant before August 22, 2026, either after NADRA verification through an authorized branch channel or upon confirmation of pension receipt from the CGA or MAG from September 2026 onward. Any discrepancies identified through quarterly reconciliation will have to be resolved within six weeks.
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