NADRA Succession Certificate: Process, Documents and Fee (2026)

In short

Two documents: a succession certificate for movable assets and a letter of administration for land and houses, from one application. Who applies: any one legal heir with a valid CNIC, NICOP or POC, in person at a NADRA succession office in the right province. NADRA says a lawyer can apply instead only in Sindh and Balochistan; Sindh's 2025 amendment also allows a power of attorney (see below). Steps: application, biometrics of every heir, a newspaper notice, then the certificate if no one objects within 14 days. Fee (NADRA, November 2026): Rs 20,000 if the assets are worth Rs 100,000 or more (Rs 22,000 in Sindh), Rs 10,000 below that. NADRA declines when there is a "factual controversy": heirs disagree, evidence is needed, or, under the Islamabad, Punjab and Balochistan Acts, an heir is a minor. The heirs then go to a civil court.

A NADRA succession certificate names the legal heirs of a deceased person for their bank accounts, shares, prize bonds and savings certificates, without the heirs first going to court. This guide explains the procedure; it is not legal advice, and a dispute between heirs needs a lawyer.

Succession certificate or letter of administration?

NADRA's portal says a succession certificate covers movable assets such as "insurance claims, money in the bank account(s), any stocks, prize bonds". Its Punjab FAQ adds lockers and National Savings, DSC and Behbood certificates. A letter of administration covers "All immovable properties including house, shops, land etc." Many people search for this as a warasat certificate.

Each law lets NADRA issue them "in accordance with the Family Registration Certificate maintained by the Authority" (section 3), with "the same effect as if the same have been issued under the Succession Act, 1925" (section 6(7)). The Acts are Islamabad's of 2020, Punjab's and Sindh's of 2021, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's of 2021 (we did not read its text) and Balochistan's of 2022. NADRA's Punjab FAQ says Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan "are under process of legislation".

Who can apply, and who can't

NADRA's FAQ: "All Pakistani citizens holding valid CNIC/NICOP/POC can apply", and any one legal heir can file. The deceased and heirs must be Pakistani citizens and the property in Pakistan (NADRA's main page).

The FAQ answers No to:

• a minor (CRC or juvenile card holder) or a mentally challenged heir applying;
• an old manual NIC (MNIC) holder;
• a case that is sub judice or already decided by a court;
• heirs giving up their rights to one heir for processing;
• a deceased person with no identity in NADRA's record;
• a power of attorney.

Sindh is different on paper. Sindh Act XXVII of 2025 changed section 6(1): applications are now made "by the legal heirs or their [Power of Attorney]", where it said "legal counsel". NADRA's pages still allow legal counsel in Sindh and Balochistan only, and its FAQ says a power of attorney is not admissible. Ask the Sindh office.

On wider relatives the FAQ's answers seem to conflict. Its Eligibility tab says residuary heirs can apply; its Application Processing tab says that where the deceased has no blood relatives, the application "will be declined in beyond family category". Ask the succession office before you pay.

Where: the FAQ says any NADRA succession office in the province where the death was registered, where the deceased "ordinarily resided" (an address on their CNIC, NICOP or POC), or where any asset is. Assets in several provinces need one application per province; if you don't want several applications, the FAQ says you can ask for a decline certificate instead, so you can go to court.

The five steps

NADRA's Punjab page lists them like this:

1. Application: the applicant gives their identity number and the deceased's death certificate.
2. Heirs and assets: details of every legal heir and of the movable and immovable property.
3. Verification: "All legal heirs will visit NADRA's Registration Center for Biometric Verification."
4. Advertisement: NADRA publishes a newspaper notice asking for objections.
5. Printing and delivery: "If there is no objection within 14 days of publication", the certificate is issued. NADRA's main page says "14 days after publication"; its Punjab FAQ says "15 working days after publication of Advertisement". The Sindh and Balochistan Acts say "within fourteen days after the notice period".

The Acts put the notice first: under section 6(5) of the Punjab Act, biometric verification follows "Where no objection or claim is received within fourteen days of the publication of notice". Either way every heir gives biometrics when the office asks.

If fingerprints fail after three attempts, NADRA tries a facial match, then an appearance before a board of officers. Heirs abroad can verify through the Pak ID app with the application's tracking ID (NADRA's FAQ also names id.nadra.gov.pk, which now redirects to NADRA's main site).

Documents

NADRA's main page lists six:

1. Death certificate (death certificate guide).
2. CNIC cancellation certificate issued by NADRA (CNIC cancellation after death).
3. Family Registration Certificate (how to get the FRC).
4. List of legal heirs with copies of their CNICs.
5. Details of movable and immovable property.
6. Letter of authorization or affidavit attested by an Oath Commissioner.

The letter of authorization is every heir's consent to one of them filing; NADRA's FAQ accepts it "on plain paper with Oath Commissioner stamp & signature", but not handwritten.

Originals: the Punjab Required Documents page asks for the "Original Asset Document", but the FAQ's list says "Property/Assets Documents in original (except Punjab)". Take originals and copies.

NADRA succession certificate fee

From NADRA's fee pages:

NADRA does not say how two of these fit together: its fee table charges Rs 15,000 for a decline on a processed application, while its Punjab FAQ says that when a processed case is declined after an objection, "Only Rs. 5000/- will be refunded." The Punjab site offers online verification of a certificate for Rs 50.

Fees as of November 2026.

When NADRA declines

NADRA declines when there is a "factual controversy": under the Islamabad, Punjab and Balochistan Acts that includes a minor heir, and in every Act we read it includes a dispute over who the heirs are that NADRA can't resolve, or a case that needs evidence; NADRA's FAQ adds a mentally disabled heir. It then issues a decline certificate, and the heirs go to a civil court: our guide to the succession certificate through court covers the rest. Section 10 of Punjab's 2021 Act barred a court until NADRA declined; the Peshawar High Court's May 2026 judgment, as Dawn quotes it, says a Punjab Amendment Act of 2025 inserted "or a civil court" after "authority", but whether that amendment removed section 10 is not confirmed. In Sindh, since December 2025, a minor heir alone no longer leads to a decline, but the minor's share takes effect only after a guardianship certificate.

After the certificate

The certificate lists each heir's share under their personal law; to check the shares, use the inheritance calculator. For land, the next step is the mutation: see inheritance mutation in Punjab and find your office with land record offices.

Frequently asked questions

Warasat certificate NADRA se kaise banwayen?

One heir takes the documents above to a NADRA succession office in the right province, every heir gives biometrics, and NADRA publishes a notice. If no one objects, it issues the certificate (the five steps above).

Can I apply for a succession certificate online?

Not for a new one. NADRA's FAQ says online applying may come "to the extent of reprint lost/Duplicate, only".

What is the succession certificate fee at NADRA?

Rs 20,000 (Rs 22,000 in Sindh), or Rs 10,000 for assets under Rs 100,000, per NADRA in November 2026.

Can NADRA issue a succession certificate if one heir is a minor?

Not under the Islamabad, Punjab (2021 text) and Balochistan Acts. Sindh's Act, since December 2025, no longer counts a minor heir alone, but the minor's share takes effect only after a guardianship certificate. We did not read the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Act on this.

Sources

1. NADRA: Succession Certificate (requirements, fees and decline certificate tabs), checked in a browser on 2 November 2026 nadra.gov.pk
2. NADRA: Fee Structure, succession certificate and decline fees (site last updated 17 September 2026; checked in a browser on 2 November 2026) nadra.gov.pk
3. NADRA: Letter of Administration and Succession Certificate portal (checked in a browser on 2 November 2026) succession.nadra.gov.pk
4. NADRA Punjab succession site: the five steps and online verification (checked in a browser on 2 November 2026) punjabsuccession.nadra.gov.pk
5. NADRA Punjab succession site: Application Fee (checked in a browser on 2 November 2026) punjabsuccession.nadra.gov.pk
6. NADRA Punjab succession site: FAQs on eligibility, processing, decline certificate, fees and documents (checked in a browser on 2 November 2026) punjabsuccession.nadra.gov.pk
7. NADRA Punjab succession site: Required Documents (checked in a browser on 2 November 2026) punjabsuccession.nadra.gov.pk
8. Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Act, 2020 (Act No. VI of 2020, Islamabad Capital Territory), Gazette of Pakistan, 14 February 2020 molaw.gov.pk
9. Punjab Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Act 2021 (Act IX of 2021), Punjab Gazette, 17 May 2021 (checked in a browser on 2 November 2026) punjabsuccession.nadra.gov.pk
10. Sindh Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Act, 2021 (Sindh Act No. VII of 2021), as amended by Sindh Act No. XXVII of 2025 sindhlaws.gov.pk
11. Balochistan Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Act, 2022 (Act No. I of 2022) pabalochistan.gov.pk
12. Dawn: PHC upholds law allowing Nadra to issue succession certificate (8 May 2026) dawn.com