On the directives from Ministry of Interior the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has launched a revised system to improve public convenience and administrative efficiency for federal arms licence validity.
In an official awareness video, NADRA explained that under the previous system, all firearms licences expired annually on December 31. This created two major issues a surge in renewal requests at year-end that burdened the system, and reduced validity for those who obtained licences later in the year, as their licences would still expire on the same fixed date.
With the introduction of the new digital system, the entire firearms licensing process has been fully digitised, making both issuance and renewal easier and more accessible for citizens.
Under the updated policy, the validity of a firearms licence will now be calculated from the date it is issued or renewed, instead of following the calendar year. Each licence will remain valid for a full five years from its date of issuance.
The new approach is expected to help citizens fully utilise their licence duration while also eliminating the year-end rush for renewals. Officials said the initiative aims to enhance public facilitation and streamline administrative processes.
In a separate development, a new facility has been introduced by the NADRA. It is now allowing citizens to complete biometric verification for Punjab arms licences through a mobile application.
A NADRA spokesperson revealed that any citizen seeking an armed licence can now submit their requests through the Punjab Arms Licence website website https://Pal.nadra.gov.pk.
By this way the complete biometric verification can be remotely done using the Pak ID mobile app. This will eliminate the need for in-person visits.
This development comes after a notification was issued by the Punjab Home Department in November 2025.
The notification had suspended all procedures related to the verification and computerisation of manual arm licences. This included those held by individuals, security companies and institutions.
It was revealed by the new announcement that the institutions and the citizens holding old manual arm, licences had already been given a final opportunity to get their licences computerised.
It also revealed that all other instructions regarding the progress were now cancelled.
Detailed reports were also sought by the Home Department of Punjab from divisional commissioners and additional secretaries (judicial) regarding arms licences that were computerised between March and November.
Also read: Punjab arms licence holders to get mobile biometric verification via NADRA
