NTN Registration in Pakistan: Get Registered with FBR Today
Your National Tax Number (NTN) is your gateway to formal financial participation in Pakistan. Whether you're a salaried employee, business owner, or running a non-profit, Pak Filer registers your NTN with FBR quickly and correctly.
Tax Year 2026 · Last updated 1 August 2026
An NTN (National Tax Number) is your identity for income tax with Pakistan's Federal Board of Revenue, created by e-enrolling on the IRIS portal. For individuals, your 13-digit CNIC is your NTN — FBR does not issue a separate number. Companies, AOPs and foreign nationals receive a distinct 7-digit NTN. FBR charges Rs 0; Pak Filer's fee covers preparing and submitting the application.
Filing for Tax Year 2026 (1 July 2025 – 30 June 2026)? The return deadline is 30 September 2026 — see income tax return filing, estimate your tax with the salary tax calculator, or run a free online NTN verification to check an existing registration.
See How It Works on Our Platform
Select your NTN registration category, upload documents, and submit — all from your dashboard.
What is the purpose of your NTN Registration?
Select the category that best describes your registration purpose
Salaried
For individuals earning salary from employment
Sole Proprietor
For individual business owners
Partnership or AOP
For partnerships and association of persons
Company
For registered companies and corporations
NPO
For non-profit organizations
What is a National Tax Number (NTN)?
An NTN is not a card or a certificate number for most people — it is a registration status on FBR's IRIS system. FBR's own guidance is explicit:
"In case of individuals, 13 digits Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) will be used as NTN or Registration Number… NTN or Registration Number for AOP and Company is the 7 digits NTN received after e-enrollment."
— Federal Board of Revenue, Register for Income Tax
Individuals
Salaried employees, freelancers and sole proprietors. Your existing 13-digit CNIC becomes your NTN the moment e-enrolment completes. No new number is issued.
AOPs & Companies
Partnerships, AOPs and SECP-registered companies receive a distinct 7-digit NTN, separate from any partner's or director's CNIC.
Foreign nationals
Persons and entities without a CNIC receive a system-generated Registration / NTN Number instead.
So for an individual, "getting an NTN" really means e-enrolling on IRIS — after which your CNIC functions as your tax number everywhere: banks, property registrars, customs and every withholding agent.
NTN registration does not make you a filer
E-enrolment only creates your taxpayer profile on IRIS. You become an Active Taxpayer — and appear on FBR's Active Taxpayer List (ATL) — only after you actually file an income tax return for the relevant tax year, plus any late-filing surcharge if you file after the deadline.
This is the single most common misunderstanding in Pakistan. Thousands of people register for an NTN, stop there, and keep paying higher non-filer withholding rates on banking, property and vehicle transactions because they never filed. NTN = registered. ATL / filer = registered and return filed. That is exactly why registration and return filing are two separate services.
Choose Your Registration Category
Salaried Individual
For individuals earning a salary from any employer: government, private sector, or semi-government organisations.
Docs: CNIC, salary slip or employment letter, employer NTN
Sole Proprietor
For individual business owners operating a business under their own name or a trade name. Includes shopkeepers, traders, contractors, consultants, and freelancers.
Docs: CNIC, business address proof, business bank account details (if any), trade name
Partnership / AOP
For partnership firms and Associations of Persons operating under a formal or informal partnership arrangement.
Docs: CNICs of all partners, partnership deed, business address proof, bank account details
Company (Pvt Ltd / SMC / LLP)
For companies incorporated under SECP: Private Limited, Single Member, or Limited Liability Partnership.
Docs: SECP incorporation certificate, CNICs of directors, Memorandum & Articles of Association, registered office address
Non-Profit Organization (NPO)
For registered non-profit organisations, trusts, welfare societies, charities, and foundations.
Docs: Registration certificate (SECP / Registrar), CNICs of trustees/directors, constitution/MOA, registered address
How NTN Registration Works
NTN Registration Online: How to Get an NTN Number in Pakistan
If you would rather do it yourself, this is the full IRIS 2.0 e-enrolment sequence. Nothing here is hidden — our service exists to get it right first time, not because the portal is secret.
- 1
Open IRIS 2.0 and choose New Registration
Go to iris.fbr.gov.pk and select the e-enrollment / New Registration option for an unregistered person.
- 2
Enter your CNIC details
Enter your CNIC number, full name and date of birth exactly as printed on your NADRA CNIC. Any mismatch stops the application.
- 3
Add a verified mobile number and email
Use a mobile number registered and biometrically verified in your own name with your mobile operator, plus an email address you control.
- 4
Confirm the OTP codes
FBR sends a one-time code by SMS and a verification code or link by email. Both must be confirmed before the form can be submitted.
- 5
Let NADRA verification complete
IRIS cross-checks your CNIC data against NADRA records in real time. An expired or blocked CNIC will fail at this stage.
- 6
Receive your e-PIN and password
Once identity is confirmed, IRIS issues login credentials and a PIN by SMS and email. These become your permanent IRIS login.
- 7
Complete the registration form (Form 181)
Log in to IRIS and complete the registration form: residential and business address, source of income, employer or business details and bank account.
- 8
Submit and activate your NTN
On submission your CNIC is activated as your NTN or Registration Number and your taxpayer profile goes live on IRIS.
- 9
Download your registration certificate
Download the e-Registration Certificate from your IRIS profile as documentary proof of FBR registration.
Screen labels in IRIS 2.0 change between portal releases. The legal steps — CNIC entry, mobile and email verification, and submission of the registration form — are set out in FBR's IRIS Registration 2.0 user manual.
Documents Required, by Taxpayer Category
FBR publishes registration requirements rather than a formal per-category checklist. These lists reflect what IRIS actually asks for and what our team submits every day.
Salaried Individual
- CNIC (front and back, clear scan)
- Personal mobile number, biometrically verified in your own name
- Personal email address
- Employer name, employer NTN and office address
- Latest salary slip or salary certificate (recommended)
- Residential address with a recent utility bill
Sole Proprietor / Freelancer
- CNIC
- Verified mobile number and email address
- Business name and complete business address
- Nature of business or principal activity
- Electricity or gas bill of the business premises, ideally under 3 months old
- Bank account (IBAN) in the proprietor's name
- Ownership document or tenancy agreement for the premises
Partnership / AOP
- CNICs of all partners
- Registered partnership deed
- Certificate of Registration from the Registrar of Firms
- Firm's bank account details
- Business address with a recent utility bill
- Authorisation letter naming the principal officer
Company (Pvt Ltd / SMC / LLP)
- SECP Certificate of Incorporation
- Memorandum and Articles of Association
- CNICs of all directors and the CEO
- Registered office address with a utility bill
- Company bank account details
- Board resolution or authorisation naming the principal officer
NPO / Trust / Society
- Certificate of Registration (Trust Deed, Societies Act or SECP Section 42)
- Constitution, trust deed or byelaws
- CNICs of all trustees and office bearers
- Registered address with a utility bill
- Bank account details
- Board resolution naming the principal officer
Why NTN Applications Get Rejected
Almost every rejection we see traces back to one of these seven issues. All of them are fixable before submission.
- Utility bill used as address proof is older than three months
- Mobile SIM is not biometrically verified, or is registered on someone else's CNIC
- Address on the application does not match the CNIC or the utility bill
- CNIC data does not match NADRA records — expired, unrenewed or blocked CNIC, or a name spelling difference
- Supporting documents missing — no partnership deed for an AOP, no incorporation certificate for a company
- Email or mobile OTP never confirmed before final submission
- Repeated registration attempts on the same CNIC creating duplicate or conflicting records
NTN vs STRN: What is the Difference?
They are two separate registrations, under two separate laws, with two separate returns.
| NTN (Income Tax) | STRN (Sales Tax) | |
|---|---|---|
| Law it falls under | Income Tax Ordinance 2001 | Sales Tax Act 1990 |
| Who needs it | Every taxable individual, AOP and company | Businesses making taxable supplies of goods or services, or otherwise required to register |
| Number for an individual | The 13-digit CNIC itself | A separate STRN issued on sales tax registration |
| Number for an entity | 7-digit NTN issued by FBR | STRN linked to the entity's NTN |
| Registered through | IRIS e-enrolment (Form 181) | IRIS sales tax registration (Form STR-1) |
| Return you then file | Annual income tax return | Monthly sales tax return |
Need sales tax registration too? See GST / STRN registration.
NTN Verification: How to Verify an NTN and Check ATL Status
Verify an NTN
- Open iris.fbr.gov.pk and go to Online Verifications.
- Choose Taxpayer Profile Inquiry (the NTN / STRN inquiry tool).
- Enter the CNIC for an individual, or the 7-digit NTN for an entity, plus the captcha.
- The system returns the registered name, registration status and the tax office the taxpayer falls under.
Check Active Taxpayer (filer) status
- By SMS: type
ATL 1234512345671— the word ATL, a space, then your 13-digit CNIC — and send to 9966. - Entities: ATL, a space, then the 7-digit NTN, to 9966.
- AJK taxpayers: use AJKATL instead of ATL.
- Online: Active Taxpayer List under Online Verifications on IRIS, or download the full list from e.fbr.gov.pk/atl.
NTN Registration Fee in Pakistan 2026 — what it actually costs
FBR charges Rs 0 for NTN registration. E-enrolment on IRIS is a free government service — there is no official fee to obtain an NTN or a CNIC-based registration. What you pay Pak Filer is a facilitation fee for our team preparing your documents, submitting the IRIS application, correcting anything FBR objects to, and following it through to your registration certificate. We say this plainly because the alternative — implying the fee is a government charge — is how most of this market operates.
Forgot your IRIS password or PIN?
- Open iris.fbr.gov.pk and click Forgot Password / Account Recovery.
- Enter your Registration Number — CNIC for individuals, 7-digit NTN for entities.
- Choose recovery by email link or SMS OTP to your registered mobile number.
- Enter the code received and set a new password.
- If neither the registered mobile nor the email is still accessible, visit your Regional Tax Office with your CNIC for a manual reset — IRIS cannot verify you without a working contact channel.
- After logging in, update your contact details in your registered person's profile so this cannot recur.
Cancelling or deregistering an NTN
FBR allows cancellation of income tax registration where the taxpayer has died, a business has permanently closed, a company has been wound up, or an AOP has dissolved. The application is filed through IRIS with supporting evidence — death certificate, dissolution deed, SECP dissolution order. FBR reviews it and removes the registration once satisfied nothing is outstanding. Deregistration does not erase past obligations: unfiled returns, tax dues and open audits up to the cancellation date still stand and should be settled first.
NTN Registration: Frequently Asked Questions
Official Sources
Every statutory statement on this page is taken from FBR's own published material, not third-party summaries.
- FBR — Register for Income Tax
The page confirming that an individual's 13-digit CNIC is used as the NTN, and that AOPs and companies receive a 7-digit NTN.
- FBR — Income Tax Registration Process
FBR's description of e-enrolment and the requirements to be met before registration.
- FBR — Active Taxpayer List (ATL)
Official ATL status check methods, including the SMS-to-9966 formats quoted above.
- FBR — Register for Sales Tax
The separate sales tax (STRN) registration route referenced in the comparison table.
- FBR IRIS Portal
The official portal where registration, verification and return filing all take place.
- FBR — Active Taxpayer List downloads
Downloadable income tax and sales tax Active Taxpayer Lists published by FBR.
Content reviewed 1 August 2026 for Tax Year 2026. Document checklists, processing times and rejection causes reflect Pak Filer's practical experience with IRIS submissions and are not verbatim FBR publications. This page is general information, not tax advice.