News of the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) being abolished as a required document to use while travelling went viral across different social media platforms and news publishers last week.
It has since been clarified by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD) that this is not the case.
Zulfikar Bukhari Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development took to Twitter and said: “NICOP has only been abolished for the Pakistani labour that goes abroad. Having the Pakistani passport and work permit is enough.”
“The nicop is an unnecessary added expense for the poor so we have abolished it for them.”
NICOP has only been waived off as a requirement for emigrant workers/labourers.
According to an ordinance passed by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in 2000, NICOP became a precondition for protector clearance making it compulsory for intending emigrants.
Spokesperson of MOPHRD said, “…the Ministry has only issued directions to not demand NICOP from emigrant workers for registration at its Protectorate of Emigrants Offices.”
“NICOP fee is outside the operative domain of emigration laws which has always remained a cause of concern for the emigrant community as whole because it leads to substantial financial burden for them alongside the increased load of work on both the protector and intending emigrant,” he further added.
The initial confusion arose when MOPHRD released a statement on their website in early November stating that the government abolished the mandatory requirement for overseas Pakistanis to obtain NICOP.
The statement also said that there will be reduced biometric verification charges for the labourers going abroad. The government has decided to undertake a couple of new initiatives to facilitate overseas Pakistanis.
Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis news release about NICOP abolishment. Source: ophrd.gov.pk
Prime Minister, Imran Khan also announced that the government would soon unveil a special incentives package aimed at encouraging the overseas Pakistanis to transfer remittances through banking channels.
What is NICOP?
According to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) is a registration document issued to an eligible citizen of Pakistan who lives or has reference abroad.
Any citizen of Pakistan can apply for NICOP and can travel to Pakistan without requiring a visa in case of dual nationality. Please note that Passport number is a mandatory pre-requisite in case of applying for NICOP of newborn babies if they are born abroad.
