Disability Certificate Pakistan 2026: How to Apply

A disability certificate in Pakistan is the official document that certifies the nature and extent of a person’s disability, issued after assessment by a medical board. It is the first document a person with a disability needs. It is the proof that unlocks the job quota, age relaxation, the special CNIC from NADRA, and welfare schemes.

Disability is a provincial subject after the 18th Constitutional Amendment. Each province has its own law, its own issuing authority, and its own quota. There is no single national certificate office. Here are the exact offices for each province, the step-by-step process, the documents, and the job benefits. Our documents required for government jobs guide lists the full document set for a job application, and our merit list guide explains how quotas work in selection.

Disability certificate at a glance#

Who issues it, and where, by province#

Note: The 1981 Ordinance is no longer in force in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, or ICT, as each has passed its own legislation. KP adopted the 1981 Ordinance and its 1991 Rules.

How to get a disability certificate in Pakistan: the steps#

Punjab. Apply for assessment and issuance of the disability certificate on the Disable Person’s Management Information System (DPMIS) at dpmis.punjab.gov.pk/register. Province-wide registration started 1 November 2024. Helpline 1312. The District / Tehsil Assessment Boards assess the nature and extent of disability and issue the certificate. The boards work in all DHQ and THQ hospitals of Punjab and hold meetings on a fortnightly basis. If there is any difficulty, visit the office of the Medical Social Officer at the DHQ or THQ hospital of your district, or contact the Deputy Director Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal of your district. After the board recommends, the certificate is issued by the Social Welfare Department.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A disabled person desirous of being employed or otherwise rehabilitated applies for registration with the Employment Exchange of the area in Form PGRDP-I (in triplicate). The Employment Exchange registers the person and issues its Card in form X-10 (XP). The Social Welfare Officer fixes a date for the meeting of the District Assessment Board in consultation with the Medical Superintendent of the DHQ Hospital, who chairs the board, and notifies the person to appear before the board. The board examines the person and records its assessment on form PCRDP-III, authenticated by each member of the board participating in the meeting. The Secretary places the board’s report before an Assessing Committee of the Council, which makes its recommendations within five weeks of receiving the report. The e-Disability Certificate can also be applied for online at mis.swkpk.gov.pk.

Sindh. Apply to the district committee / Special Medical Assessment Board for assessment. The board (four members) examines the person and issues the Disability Assessment Certificate with a Registration Number and issuance date. A certificate signed by only two of the four members, or without a registration number and date, is legally incomplete and invalid (Sindh High Court, Sukkur Bench, 23 September 2026). For jobs, the certificate must be obtained before the recruitment process. A certificate issued after the recruitment exercise does not count for that exercise. The District Selection Committee conducts the recruitment process for quota posts.

Islamabad (ICT). Register with the Council on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, or its designated office, under section 23 of the ICT Act 2020. The Council has you assessed by an authorised medical officer or the Medical Assessment Board, which records the nature of your disability and the work you can do. The board meets fortnightly. Since its establishment it has convened 226 meetings and issued 19,380 disability certificates. The CRPD focal person is Rana Saeed Ramzan, contact 051-9255929 and 0307-5000500.

Balochistan. The Act does not set the procedure, the fee, or the medical board. Go to your district Social Welfare office and ask for its current form and medical board date.

Documents required for a disability certificate in Pakistan#

The official Punjab Social Welfare page does not list the documents. Take these:

• Prescribed disability form: collected from the Social Welfare Office at the DHQ Hospital or the office of the Deputy Director Social Welfare (Punjab).
• CNIC: or B-Form for a person under 18 (and the parent’s CNIC for a child).
• Passport-size photographs
• Medical records and reports: all medical records and reports about the disability.
• Clinical tests: the board may ask for clinical tests (EEG, MRI, CT scan) depending on the condition.
• Attestation by a gazetted officer: get the documents attested by a gazetted officer.

For the special CNIC step at NADRA: the disability certificate, original CNIC or B-Form, and the guardian or parent’s CNIC where relevant.

Disability certificate vs special CNIC#

The disability certificate and the special CNIC are two different documents. The certificate is issued by the Social Welfare Department after the medical board assesses you. The special CNIC is then issued by NADRA on the basis of that certificate. It is the identity document that unlocks quotas and benefits.

NADRA announced special facilities for persons with disabilities in December 2025. The special CNIC for persons with disabilities is free the first time and valid for life. It carries a special disability symbol (wheelchair logo). Under S.R.O. 330(I)/2026 and S.R.O. 331(I)/2026 of 24 February 2026, persons with disabilities get a wheelchair symbol on their CNIC. More than 1 million such cards with a distinctive mark have been issued. Applications are handled under the executive category, without standing in queues, with priority tokens and wheelchair assistance at NADRA centres. Appointments can be booked through a dedicated helpline or the Pak ID mobile app, which can also register disability from home. To apply: take the disability certificate to the nearest NADRA Registration Centre, with the documents listed above. Biometrics (thumbprints, photo, signature) are taken at the centre. The card is issued free the first time.

The job quota by province#

The 1981 Ordinance originally reserved 1% under section 10. The quota was enhanced to 2% in 1998 through an Establishment Division administrative order. In Punjab the quota was raised from 2% to 3% in 2015, then set at at least 3% by section 31 of the 2022 Act. The reserved posts are divided equally amongst visually impaired persons, hearing impaired persons, persons with other physical disabilities, and intellectually impaired persons. In Sindh, a claim of a 25% quota has no basis. The Sindh High Court confirmed in September 2026 that the statutory quota is strictly 5% and no policy extends it to 25%. The quota is a right to compete for reserved posts, not a job guarantee. Quota seats cannot be transferred to the general category.

Does it give age relaxation in government jobs?#

Yes. The answer differs by government. Federal and Punjab: a person with a disability gets up to 10 years of additional age relaxation on top of the general relaxation. The combined additional relaxation from special categories is capped at 10 years above the general male or female limit. A female applicant with a verified disability receives 8 years of female general relaxation plus 10 years of disability relaxation, setting her upper age limit at 48 years for BPS-6 and higher posts. For federal posts, every candidate gets 5 years of general relaxation automatically, and on top of that one category relaxation of 3, 5, 10 or 15 years. Sindh: persons with disabilities are entitled to up to 5 years of age relaxation, under SGA and CD Notification No. SORI(SGA and CD)5-108/2024 dated 16 October 2024. Balochistan: the 2017 Act gives up to 5 years of age relaxation for admissions to educational institutions, not for jobs. Note that this 5-year relaxation applies only to educational admissions, not government job recruitment.

There is no single age relaxation certificate. A disabled person shows a disability certificate or a special CNIC. The general and category age relaxation rules apply across government posts.

Other benefits#

Punjab Himmat Card: a Punjab Social Welfare scheme for certified persons with disabilities. As of 2026, eligible holders receive Rs 10,500 every three months. Eligibility reported: a valid Punjab disability certificate, a special CNIC with the disability logo, and a Proxy Means Test (PMT) score of 45 or below in the BISP database. Registration is on the DPMIS portal. People who are employed, or who already receive BISP, Zakat or PSPA support, are generally not eligible. Confirm the current amount on the DPMIS portal, since it can change.

Punjab District Welfare and Rehabilitation Units: free medical treatment, free artificial limbs, free wheelchairs and hearing aids, financial assistance, and employment opportunities through private establishments. Persons assessed as Not Fit For Work with no source of income are entitled to financial assistance from the unit.

Sindh: free books, learning materials and assistive devices for students with disabilities up to age 18, scholarships in suitable cases, and exam changes such as extra time, a scribe, exemption from second and third language courses and age relaxation. Balochistan: 5% quota in educational institutions, 50% fee relaxation in public and private higher education institutions, private hospitals must charge disabled patients 50% less, and a 5% housing quota at half price. ICT: free education from pre-primary to higher level, free public health care, reserved transport seats and parking.

Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal Special Friends programme: yearly cash help, wheelchairs, hearing aids, white canes and artificial limbs for families with a person with disability, on the PBM form with CNIC and disability certificate.

What counts as a disability for the certificate#

Punjab Act 2022: a person with a long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others, including any of the long-term disabilities specified in the Schedule. The reserved posts are divided equally among visually impaired, hearing impaired, persons with other physical disabilities, and intellectually impaired persons. ICT certificates are issued under four primary types: physical disability, hearing impairment, visual impairment, and psychosocial disability. The assessment board determines the nature and extent (and percentage) of the disabilit

What if the certificate is lost, damaged or wrong#

There is no published re-issue process. Go back to the office that issued it (the Deputy Director Social Welfare of the district in Punjab, the district Social Welfare office elsewhere, or the CRPD in Islamabad) and ask for a duplicate, and carry the CNIC and any copy of the certificate. A certificate that is legally incomplete (for example, missing signatures or a registration number in Sindh) must be replaced with a properly executed one, because an incomplete certificate does not count in recruitment.

Mistakes to avoid#

Applying to the wrong office. Disability is a provincial subject. A Punjab resident applies in Punjab, on DPMIS or at the DHQ or THQ hospital of the district of residence. There is no national certificate office.

Submitting incomplete medical records. The board may ask for clinical tests (EEG, MRI, CT scan) depending on the condition. Bring all medical reports.

Expecting the certificate to guarantee a job. It gives eligibility for the reserved quota and age relaxation, not a job. The person must still apply, pass the test or interview, and be selected by the District Selection Committee or the recruiting body.

Confusing the disability certificate with the special CNIC. They are two different documents. The certificate comes first, from the Social Welfare Department. The special CNIC comes second, from NADRA, on the basis of the certificate.

Applying for the quota with a certificate obtained after the recruitment process. In Sindh, a certificate issued after the recruitment exercise does not count for that exercise.

Using an incomplete certificate. In Sindh, a certificate without a registration number and date, or signed by only two of the four board members, is legally incomplete and invalid.

Applying last year’s quota or age relaxation figure to every province. Punjab is 3%, Sindh and Balochistan are 5%, KP and federal posts are 2%, and ICT establishments are 1% under section 24. Name the province when you state a quota or relaxation figure.

Assuming the 40% figure is an official rule. The 40% figure is not an official rule.

Frequently asked questions#

Where is a disability certificate issued?

In Punjab, by the District or Tehsil Assessment Boards working in DHQ and THQ hospitals, applied for on the DPMIS portal (dpmis.punjab.gov.pk/register). In Sindh, by the Special Medical Assessment Board through the district committee. In KP, by the District Assessment Board chaired by the Medical Superintendent of the DHQ Hospital, through the District Office of Social Welfare (online e-Disability Certificate at mis.swkpk.gov.pk). In Balochistan, from your district Social Welfare office. In Islamabad, by the Medical Assessment Board under the Council on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD, NARC Building, Gate No. 2, Park Road, Islamabad).

Does it give age relaxation in government jobs?

Yes. In federal and Punjab recruitment, a person with a disability gets up to 10 years of additional age relaxation on top of the general relaxation (combined additional relaxation capped at 10 years). In Sindh, the statutory relaxation for differently abled persons is 5 years (SGA and CD Notification No. SORI(SGA and CD)5-108/2024 dated 16 October 2024). The proof is the disability certificate or the special CNIC.

What is the job quota for persons with disabilities?

It depends on the province. Punjab 3%, Sindh 5%, Balochistan 5%, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2%, federal government posts 2%. In Islamabad, at least 1% of every establishment’s staff must be registered disabled persons fit to work.

Is the disability certificate free?

No fee is published for the certificate in Punjab. The special CNIC from NADRA is free the first time and valid for life.

What is the difference between a disability certificate and a special CNIC?

The disability certificate is issued by the Social Welfare Department after the medical board assesses you. The special CNIC is issued by NADRA on the basis of that certificate. The certificate proves the disability. The CNIC is the identity document, with a wheelchair logo, that you show for quotas and benefits.

How long does it take to get a disability certificate?

There is no fixed total processing time. The Punjab boards meet fortnightly, and the ICT board meets fortnightly. Allow 2 to 4 weeks after assessment.