The Punjab Government has approved a significant increase in domicile fees, raising them by 175 per cent, with an official notification issued.
Under the revised structure, the domicile fee has been increased from Rs200 to Rs550. The new fee includes Rs200 as the base fee, Rs300 for an e-affidavit, and Rs50 as service charges.
Authorities have also decided that all payments will be made exclusively through the ePay Punjab system. In a move to improve public convenience, citizens will now be able to apply for domicile certificates online and receive them at home.
The government has further approved plans to make the domicile system fully digital and paperless. The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) has been authorised to charge Rs50 per domicile as a service fee, with Rs500 going to the national exchequer while Rs50 will be retained by PITB.
Additionally, the e-affidavit fee has been increased from Rs100 to Rs300. The provincial cabinet has also granted approval to run the domicile management system on a permanent basis.
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On the other hand, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has warned citizens about late fees and heavy fines after June.
According to details, NADRA has urged citizens to immediately renew their expired Smart National Identity Cards (CNICs), warning that failure to do so may result in late fees and heavy penalties after June. The authority stated that under the law, fines on late renewal after card expiry can be imposed; however, this practice is currently not being enforced in the interest of public convenience. It added that enforcement will begin after June.
NADRA further revealed that currently, around 27.4 million identity cards, along with millions of other documents such as overseas cards and children’s certificates, have expired across the country.
The announcement also clarified that failure to renew CNICs on time may lead to the suspension of bank accounts, mobile SIMs, and other verification services. It may also result in loss of access to the Benazir Income Support Programme, government subsidies (such as fuel subsidies), and serious difficulties in property and vehicle transfers.
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