SIM Check by CNIC in Pakistan — The Complete Guide
Every SIM sold in Pakistan is legally tied to the buyer's CNIC through PTA's biometric verification system. This guide walks through every official way to see exactly which SIMs — on any network — are registered against your identity card, what the numbers mean, and what to do if something doesn't look right.
What Does "SIM Check By CNIC" Actually Mean?
In Pakistan, no SIM can legally activate without biometric verification against a valid CNIC. That means every active SIM — on Jazz, Zong, Telenor, Ufone, or SCOM — sits in a national database linked to one specific identity number. A "SIM check by CNIC" simply means querying that database to see the full list of numbers registered under your own card.
This system exists independently of any single mobile operator. It's run and maintained by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which means the same check works no matter which network the SIMs in question belong to. You don't need four separate lookups for four different operators — one query against your CNIC returns everything at once.
For most people, this becomes relevant in one of three situations: confirming how many SIMs currently sit on their own identity before buying a new one, investigating a suspicious call or message from an unfamiliar number, or simply doing routine due diligence after losing a CNIC card or having documents stolen.
CNIC-based SIM check: A lookup, run through PTA's own systems, that returns every mobile number currently registered against a specific 13-digit CNIC — across every licensed operator in the country — along with basic status information for each.
Who it's for: Any CNIC holder verifying their own registered numbers. It is not a public directory and cannot be used to look up someone else's SIMs.
Why Pakistan Ties Every SIM To A CNIC
The requirement traces back to a nationwide re-verification drive PTA and NADRA ran to curb SIM-related crime — everything from anonymous threatening calls to large-scale mobile banking fraud. Biometric registration made it far harder to activate a SIM under a false identity, and CNIC-linking is what makes a lookup like this possible in the first place. Understanding the "why" also explains why the checking tools below are free and government-run rather than something you'd expect to pay a third party for.
Accountability
Every active number can be traced back to a real, verified identity if it's used for a crime or scam.
Fraud Reduction
Anonymous "ghost" SIMs used for OTP fraud and threats became far harder to obtain after biometric checks.
Self-Auditing
Because the data is centralised, any citizen can audit their own CNIC for SIMs they didn't authorise.
Regulatory Oversight
PTA can enforce per-CNIC SIM limits and act quickly when a pattern of misuse is reported.
The Two Methods PTA Actually Recognises
Ignore anything that isn't one of these two. Both are free, both are run directly by PTA, and both cover every operator in one query. Everything else — an operator's own "my number" code, a self-care app — only tells you about a single SIM you're already holding, not your full CNIC record.
SMS Shortcode
Text your 13-digit CNIC to PTA's national shortcode and get a reply within seconds listing every SIM on your identity, grouped by operator.
Send to 668PTA Web Portal
A browser-based lookup that returns a fuller record — activation dates and status per number — that you can screenshot or print for a complaint file.
cnic.sims.pkChecking Your SIMs Via SMS To 668
This is the single most-used method in the country, mainly because it needs nothing beyond a basic phone with signal — no app, no data connection, no login. Here's exactly how the flow works from start to finish.
Open Messages
Any handset with an SMS function works, smartphone or not.
Type Your CNIC
All 13 digits, run together — no dashes or spaces.
Send To 668
Standard SMS rates apply; delivery is usually near-instant.
Read The Reply
Every registered SIM appears, sorted and labelled by network.
💡 Why this works well: Because the shortcode pulls straight from PTA's central register rather than any single operator's database, a reply from 668 will show a Jazz SIM, a Zong SIM, and a Telenor SIM in the same message if all three are registered to you — you never need to repeat the check per network.
One practical note: the SMS you send doesn't need to originate from a SIM registered to you. As long as the phone can send an SMS to 668, the reply is based entirely on the CNIC number you typed, not on whose SIM sent the request. That's useful if you're helping an elderly relative check their own CNIC from your phone, for example.
Checking Your SIMs On cnic.sims.pk
The web portal exists for situations where you want more than a quick SMS reply — for instance, when you need a record you can save, screenshot, or attach to a formal complaint. It draws on the same underlying PTA database as the SMS method, just presented with more detail per line.
It also tends to be the more reliable fallback if your SIM has no balance, poor signal, or you simply don't have a phone with SMS access nearby — all you need is any browser.
1 Visit the portal
2 Enter your CNIC
3 Complete verification
4 Review the full list
Operator-Specific "My Number" Codes
These are not CNIC-wide checks — each one only confirms the number of the SIM currently in your phone, on that specific network. Useful for everyday convenience, but don't rely on them if you're trying to find SIMs you don't already know about.
| Operator | Check-My-Number Code | Helpline |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz | *100# | 111 |
| Zong | *100# | 310 |
| Telenor | *345# | 345 |
| Ufone | *111*1# | 333 |
| SCOM | *443# | 443 |
If you already know which network a SIM belongs to and just want to confirm the number itself, the operator code is the quicker option. But whenever the goal is a complete audit of your CNIC — which is what most people searching for this actually want — go back to the SMS or portal method above.
How Many SIMs Can One CNIC Hold?
PTA enforces a maximum number of active SIMs per CNIC across all operators combined, not per network — so a Jazz SIM, a Zong SIM, and a Telenor SIM all count toward the same shared total. The exact figure has been adjusted over the years, so treat the number here as a general guide rather than a fixed rule, and confirm the current limit directly with PTA if it matters for a specific decision you're making.
This is exactly why a full CNIC-wide check matters more than a single-operator one: if you're close to the limit, an SMS to 668 or a portal lookup is the only way to see your real total across every network at once, rather than guessing based on the SIMs you remember buying yourself.
Found A SIM You Never Registered?
It happens more often than people expect — a franchise processing a registration incorrectly, an old CNIC copy misused, or in rarer cases deliberate identity fraud. None of these are things you caused, but each one needs prompt action, because an unauthorised SIM can be used to intercept banking OTPs or take out loans in your name. Here's the order to work through.
Request an emergency block
Reply to your 668 result, or call the relevant operator's helpline, and report the unfamiliar number for immediate blocking.
Notify the operator directly
Every operator's customer care team can flag an unauthorised registration formally against your account.
File a complaint with PTA
Log the issue through PTA's official channels so there's a documented, timestamped record of your report.
Escalate if identity misuse is suspected
For anything beyond a single stray SIM — fraud attempts, impersonation — report it to the NCCIA Cybercrime Wing.
For a fuller, step-by-step breakdown specifically on removing a SIM from your CNIC once you've found one, see our dedicated guide: Remove An Unauthorized SIM From Your CNIC.
⚠️ Legal Note: Every method in this guide is designed for checking SIMs registered to your own CNIC only. Attempting to look up another person's registered numbers without their consent is an offence under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. Be especially wary of paid third-party websites claiming to reveal someone else's SIM ownership — these are not sanctioned by PTA, and handing over a CNIC number to one of them creates a privacy risk with no legitimate upside.
Common Mistakes People Make
Typing the CNIC with dashes
The 668 shortcode expects 13 plain digits with no separators — a dash can cause the query to fail silently.
Paying a third-party "verification" site
No legitimate CNIC-based SIM check requires payment beyond a standard SMS rate. Paid sites are not PTA-affiliated.
Confusing an operator code with a full check
*100# or *345# only confirms the SIM in your hand — not your complete CNIC record across all networks.
Ignoring an unfamiliar entry "just in case it's fine"
An unrecognised SIM rarely resolves itself — reporting it early is what limits any potential misuse.
Frequently Asked Questions
QIs a CNIC-based SIM check free in Pakistan?
QCan I check SIMs registered to someone else's CNIC?
QDoes the SMS method cover every mobile operator?
QWhat should I do if 668 doesn't reply?
QHow do I know if I've reached PTA's SIM limit?
QIs this website affiliated with PTA or any mobile operator?
Related & Official Resources
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