PSW enables remote biometric verification through NADRA PakID app

The Pakistan Single Window, the federal platform for cross-border trade facilitation, has integrated with the National Database and Registration Authority's PakID mobile application, the Associated Press of Pakistan and ProPakistani reported. The move allows users to complete the mandatory biometric verification step for PSW subscription, renewal and profile updates without visiting an office.

Until now, a person who wanted to open or renew a PSW subscription had to go in person to a NADRA e-Sahulat centre to complete biometric verification. Under the new arrangement, the step can be done on a smartphone, subject to NADRA's applicable verification requirements.

The change is expected to be especially useful for overseas Pakistanis involved in trade activities in Pakistan. Eligible users outside the country can now finish their PSW biometric verification from wherever they are. Domestic users also benefit by avoiding a trip to a centre.

For an interim period, NADRA e-Sahulat centres will continue to operate alongside the digital option. Users may verify their identity through the PakID mobile app or continue with the previous in-person route. PSW said this is to ensure uninterrupted facilitation for the business community while the new system takes hold.

Syed Aftab Haider, chief executive officer of PSW, said the integration was a response to feedback from the PSW community in Pakistan and overseas. He said removing another physical trip from the onboarding process made the user journey more convenient, accessible and user-driven.

PSW said the integration eliminates the only physical visit required for subscription and makes the whole process digital. The organisation linked the step to its focus on digital solutions for businesses and Pakistanis who trade from overseas. The reports did not say how long the interim period will last.