How to Transfer SIM Ownership in Pakistan [2026]
Most SIMs in Pakistan still sit on someone else’s CNIC: a father’s, a mother’s, a friend’s. Learning how to transfer sim ownership is how that ends. It is a counter procedure on two rules most guides skip: both owners must stand there together, and a young SIM cannot move.
Roman Urdu guide: SIM Transfer Tariqa.
Quick answer: how to transfer sim ownership
- Both owners present together: PTA’s own FAQ makes presence mandatory.
- Original CNICs plus a biometric scan register the SIM to the new owner.
- A SIM in its first 365 days cannot be transferred.
- Deceased owner’s SIM: relatives, documents, a 60-day window; on Jazz, published free.
Before You Go: Three Checks
Start with the new owner’s slot. Send their CNIC number (without dashes) to 668 or use the free cnic.sims.pk portal: no transfer registers if that CNIC is already at the 8-SIM ceiling (5 voice plus 3 data). If full, disown an unused SIM first (our SIM count guide).
Second, check the SIM’s age: one activated inside the last 365 days will be refused (the lock, below). Third, empty the number of your digital life: move bank alerts, JazzCash and Easypaisa wallets, and app and OTP registrations to a number you keep. Postpaid? Settle the bill first; counter sense, not a published precondition.
The Transfer, Step by Step
PTA’s own FAQ: “Presence of both transferor (current owner of SIM) and transferee… is mandatory.” Both go together to an authorised outlet: the operator’s customer service centre (safest first choice), an authorised franchise, or a registered retailer with the biometric device. Each carries an original, valid CNIC (an expired one means a wasted trip). Bring the SIM itself.
At the counter, staff open a change-of-ownership request and the parties sign the operator’s form. Biometric verification runs against NADRA on the MBVS device, which selects the fingers and checks liveness: the new owner’s scan registers the SIM to their CNIC, and the current owner is verified too (both parties being checked, as reported). On success it normally completes at the counter; a confirmation SMS follows (reported practice). No online route exists; website applications with document uploads describe a process that does not exist.
The 365-Day Lock: When a Transfer Is Refused
Since PTA’s advisory of 24 May 2026, a newly activated SIM cannot be disowned, transferred or ordinarily deactivated for 365 days from activation. The clock is per SIM, not per CNIC (full mechanism: our 365-day SIM rule guide).
The trap is the second-hand buyer: a used phone’s SIM, or a SIM, activated less than a year ago cannot be put in your name until the year runs out; a promise to transfer it next week fails at the counter. The fraud path is no workaround: immediate blocking covers SIMs issued without the holder’s consent, not for a willing sale or a family handover.
Special Cases: Deceased, Abroad, Company
Deceased owner: relatives may transfer it inside 60 days of NADRA notifying the death; then the number is blocked. Zong’s official document set: the original death certificate, original FRC, the transferee’s valid original CNIC, the SIM or an FIR if lost, a last recharge check, and a signed NOC. Jazz adds: a signed undertaking from the transferee, the SIM in hand, no active JazzCash account on the number, no MNP, duplicate or new SIM in the last 30 days, and its transfer is published free of cost.
Owner abroad: PTA’s FAQ names this exception: where the current owner is not alive or at abroad, “additional verification shall be carried out as per procedure in vogue”. What it consists of is published nowhere, so the route is unverified and no honest guide can print steps; call the operator or PTA’s helpline 0800-55055 before starting. A power of attorney is not a published SIM route either. Company SIMs move through the operator’s business channel on the company NTN account (reported), not the retail counter.
Costs and Aftercare
| Operator | Living transfer fee | Deceased transfer |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz | Not published | Free of Cost (published) |
| Telenor | Not published | Not published |
| Zong | Not published | Not published |
| Ufone | Not published | Not published |
PTA publishes no transfer fee and no operator a living-transfer charge; the Rs 100-300 blog figure is unverified, so ask the outlet first. Aftercare: the new owner confirms the record from the SIM on 667 (both checks: our 668 vs 667 guide), the old owner re-checks 668 to confirm it has gone, and both keep the receipt and the SMS. A change made without your consent can be disputed with Jazz within 30 days (its own FAQ). After a transfer, expect a reported 60-day wait before the number can be ported.
FAQs
How can I change SIM ownership in Pakistan?
Both owners at a customer service centre or franchise, original CNICs in hand; the new owner’s biometric scan does it. No online route exists.
Can I transfer a SIM without the owner being present?
No. PTA makes the current owner’s presence mandatory; the only exceptions are death or the owner being abroad, with an additional verification PTA does not publish.
Which documents do I need?
Both parties’ original, valid CNICs and the SIM. An expired CNIC is refused; deceased transfers add the documents above.
How can I transfer my father’s SIM to my name?
Alive: together, both CNICs, the standard route. Passed away: the deceased route, documents inside the 60-day window.
Is SIM ownership transfer free?
No living-transfer fee is published; ask the outlet first. Jazz’s deceased transfer: free of cost, published.
How long does SIM ownership transfer take?
Normally at the counter once verification succeeds (reported practice). The 24-48 hour blog figure is unverified.
What happens to a SIM of a deceased person?
A 60-day window from NADRA’s death notification, documents in hand; then the number is blocked.
What if the old owner is abroad?
PTA names the exception but publishes nothing about the additional verification. Call the operator or PTA (0800-55055); fixed steps printed anywhere are guesses.
Can I port a SIM right after a transfer?
Reported: a 60-day wait applies after a change of ownership before porting.
Sim apne naam transfer karne ka tarika kya hai?
Dono malik ek sath franchise jayein, asal CNIC le kar; naye malik ke biometric se SIM us ke naam ho jati hai. Online tareeqa nahi; SIM ek saal se kam purani ho to transfer nahi hota.
Conclusion
A transfer is a short counter visit: a free slot on 668, a SIM older than its 365-day lock, wallets moved, and both owners together with original CNICs. Anything promising it online, or for a SIM inside its first year, sells a process that does not exist. Removing a SIM with no new owner: our disown guide.
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