LAHORE – Pakistani nationals intending to visit Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and other Zone B countries for employment are required to obtain the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP).
The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) is the competent authority to issue the NICOP to the Pakistani citizens.
Any citizen of Pakistan can apply for the document for the desired country and can travel to Pakistan without obtaining a visa in case of dual nationality. The passport number is a mandatory to obtain the smart NICOP.
NADRA has divided the world countries in two categories – Zone A and Zone B. There is also different fee structure for both zones. Most of the Gulf and Asian countries fall in the Zone B as they hosts higher number of overseas Pakistanis.
As of June 2024, there is no change in online fee structure for NICOP for Zone B countries. The normal fee for new Smart NICOP stands at $20 while urgent fee $30 and executive fee $40.
The NICOP fee in Pakistan stands at Rs5,620 for normal category while urgent fee is Rs8,440. Nadra also offers executive category to the customers. The fee for executive category stands at Rs11,250.
List of Zone B Countries
You can check the list of Zone B countries by visiting the Nadra website.
