The B-form is going to be changed

The government has decided to make fingerprints and photographs of children above the age of 10 a mandatory part of Form B, also known as the Child Registration Certificate (CRC).

The federal government is aiming to further streamline the process of obtaining B-Forms to prevent identity theft and misuse of information.

Maryam Nawaz of Geo News reports that the implementation will be carried out in phases. In the first phase, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Passport Department will collect biometric data and photographs of all children aged 10 to 18.

Ministry of Interior's spokesperson has said that the parents or legal guardians of the children are required to accompany them and bring along their CNICs and the child's computerised birth certificate when coming to apply for the B-form — "special registration certificate" — in any NADRA centre.

The first phase will begin across the country on January 15.

After these changes are made, children in the specified age group must present the updated B-Form when applying for new passports.

The older version of the B-Form, without fingerprints and photographs, will no longer be acceptable. An interior ministry spokesperson said that NADRA will take further steps to align its identification system with provincial civil registration management systems and strengthen services through the Pak-ID mobile app.

In the future the ministry intends to include the introduction of iris scans and biometric facilities at the level of union councils to enhance the national identification process.

Additionally, the government is also planning to issue digital IDs to all citizens as a part of its broader digital transformation strategy.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the steps taken by Nadra and the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports while emphasising that the initiative will combat crimes pertaining to fake ID creation, illegal passport acquisition, and human trafficking.