Getting a birth certificate online in Punjab starts with one office that many parents skip: the Union Council. This guide explains the two steps (the Union Council birth certificate, then NADRA’s B-Form), what you can really do online or from home, the documents, the fee as of September 2026, and how to fix a mistake.

If you remember one thing, make it this: register the birth within the first year. It is free, the paperwork is short, and the certificate should be issued on the same day.

How a birth certificate online in Punjab works

There are two documents, and they come in a fixed order:

  1. The Union Council birth certificate. Your Union Council (or Municipal Committee or Cantonment Board) registers the birth and issues a computerised birth registration certificate. Union Councils do this in the Civil Registration Management System (CRMS), which NADRA provides to provincial and local governments.
  2. The B-Form, or Child Registration Certificate (CRC). NADRA issues this identity record for your child. Punjab’s 2025 rules say NADRA issues the B-Form on the basis of the Union Council’s birth registration certificate, and NADRA’s own page says a CRC cannot be issued if the birth is not registered with the Union Council.

So the Union Council certificate is not a lesser copy of the B-Form. It is the first step, and NADRA needs it. The rules are published by the Local Government and Community Development Department at lgcd.punjab.gov.pk, and NADRA’s CRC details are on nadra.gov.pk.

The Union Council registers the birth first. NADRA then issues the B-Form (CRC) from that certificate.

Step 1: Register the birth at the Union Council

Under the Punjab Local Government (Registration of Births and Deaths) Rules 2025, a relative such as a parent or grandparent reports the birth on Form-A, either at the office or through the online system. Hospitals can also report births, and schools can report an unregistered child at admission, but the family still has to apply.

How it is handled depends on how late you are:

When you report the birthWho decidesTime set in the 2025 rules
Within one yearUnion Council secretaryCertificate the same day
After one year, up to seven yearsAssistant Director of the tehsilDecision within three days
After seven yearsDeputy DirectorDecision within 30 days, and a newspaper notice may be needed

For a registration after seven years, the Deputy Director can order a notice in a national newspaper inviting objections, and you pay for that advert. Under the older rules these cases went to court. The 2025 rules replaced that with the Deputy Director’s approval.

Documents you need

The e-Khidmat Markaz lists these for a birth reported on time:

  • Form-A, the birth registration form
  • The applicant’s CNIC
  • The hospital birth slip, if the baby was born in a hospital
  • The child’s vaccination card
  • CNICs of the father, mother and grandfather

For a late registration, the 2025 rules also ask for two recent photos of the child. After seven years, add any B-Form, CNIC or passport that shows the date of birth, if you have one.

Two things catch many families out. First, e-Khidmat says both parents’ marital status must be updated at NADRA, and NADRA says the same before it issues a CRC. Second, e-Khidmat asks for originals plus photocopies attested by an officer of grade 17 or above. If the baby was born at home, speak to your nearest e-Khidmat Markaz or Union Council about what proof they accept.

What you can do online, and what still needs a visit

“Online” means different things here, so be clear about what each route does:

  • Online reporting. The 2025 rules allow a relative to report a birth “through online system”. NADRA ran a pilot in 2025 that let families in three Punjab districts register births in its PakID app, APP reported in October 2025, and Punjab’s Local Government Department signed an agreement with NADRA in November 2025 so certificates can be accessed through PakID, ProPakistani reported.
  • Doorstep service. The Dastak Citizen App lists Birth Certificate among its services. A trained facilitator comes to your home, collects the papers and brings back the certificate. Birth certificates are offered as a doorstep service only, not self-service. See our Maryam Ki Dastak guide, or call the Dastak helpline 1202.
  • One-window counter. An e-Khidmat Markaz accepts birth certificate applications, Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm.

Whichever route you use, the Union Council still makes the entry, and it may ask you to visit to verify the details and sign or give a thumb impression.

The fee

As of September 2026, these are the figures from official and news sources:

  • Registration and the computerised certificate: free within seven years of the birth. The 2025 rules set the charge at nil, and in July 2026 the Express Tribune reported that all registration fees for cases within seven years had been abolished.
  • After seven years: the 2025 rules list Rs 200. In September 2026, ProPakistani reported that the government had extended its fee waiver for late registration by another three years, so ask the Union Council whether you need to pay anything.
  • Duplicate certificate: Rs 200, issued the same day. Correction: Rs 500.
  • NADRA B-Form (CRC): Rs 50 in the Normal category (7 days), or Rs 500 Executive (1 day), on NADRA’s fee page.
  • Dastak: a doorstep service charge is added to the government fee.

The e-Khidmat Markaz page still lists a Rs 200 birth certificate fee, paid in cash. Parts of that page, such as sending every case over seven years to court, no longer match the 2025 rules, so it may be out of date. If anyone asks you to pay, ask what the fee is for and get a receipt.

Step 2: Get the B-Form (CRC) from NADRA

Once you have the Union Council certificate, apply to NADRA for the CRC:

  • Take the computerised Union Council birth certificate and the parents’ CNICs.
  • A child over three must come in person. NADRA takes a photo and iris scan from age 3, and fingerprints from age 10.
  • The CRC expires when the child turns 3, 10 and 18, so it has to be renewed at those ages.
  • Apply at a NADRA Registration Centre, or start in the PakID app. NADRA says a centre visit may be needed for the photo and biometrics.

If the date of birth on the CRC and the Union Council certificate do not match, NADRA says the birth certificate must be corrected first. For how NADRA records your whole family, see our NADRA FRC guide, and for CNIC services see our NADRA CNIC online guide.

Fixing a mistake or getting a copy

  • A spelling or clerical error: apply on plain paper to the Union Council. The Assistant Director publishes a notice inviting objections within 15 days (you pay for the advert), then orders the correction. If the office made the error, it is corrected free.
  • Any other change, such as a different name or date of birth: the 2025 rules require a court decree.
  • Lost certificate: apply with an attested CNIC copy and the Rs 200 charge, and the duplicate is issued the same day.

Stay safe from fraud

  • Registering a birth within seven years is free. Nobody can “register” your child for a fee outside the official channels.
  • Use only your Union Council, an e-Khidmat Markaz, a facilitator booked in the Dastak Citizen App, or NADRA.
  • Never share an OTP or password, and ignore anyone offering to “speed up” a certificate for cash.
  • If an application is stuck or someone asks for a bribe, complain on the Pakistan Citizen’s Portal.

To see which Punjab and federal programs your household may qualify for, try our free eligibility checker.

GoPunjab is an independent information website. We are not a Union Council, the Local Government Department or NADRA. We cannot register a birth or issue a certificate. We only explain how the official process works so you can do it yourself.