How to get an electronic tazkira (e-tazkira) in Afghanistan: documents, steps and fee

Photo: Niazof · CC BY 4.0

What the e-tazkira is

The e-tazkira is a biometric plastic card, issued by the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) since 2018. It carries your details in Dari and Pashto on one side and in English on the other, and is valid for up to ten years. The NRC counted more than 15 million issued by September 2025. The old paper tazkira still exists, but offices increasingly ask for the electronic card. You need it for a passport and for most other papers.

What to bring

• The form. The NRC says you get it from NSIA offices, from the NSIA website or from photo shops.
• A photo to attach.
• Your paper tazkira. If you do not have one, bring a guardian's documents. Wikipedia's summary adds that witnesses, usually relatives, who hold a valid e-tazkira or Afghan passport may be needed to confirm who you are.
• A parent or legal guardian, if you are under 18.

The steps

1. Fill in the form and attach your photo and your paper tazkira.
2. Go to an e-tazkira distribution centre or an Asan Khedmat office. In January 2026 NSIA said applicants across the country can use both.
3. Pay at the centre: 500 afghanis in 2023 and still given by the NRC in September 2025.
4. Give your biometrics: a photo, fingerprints and an iris scan.
5. Wait for verification and processing.
6. Return on the date you are given, verify your fingerprint and receive the card.

Losing the card, damage, or a correction of your name or age follow largely the same process, with small differences (NRC). If a detail on your tazkira is wrong, ask for it to be corrected, because other papers copy it.

What it costs

• 500 afghanis at an ordinary centre, for an adult. The cabinet set this in April 2023, up from 100. KabulNow reported 200 afghanis for a child's card.
• 700 afghanis at an Asan Khedmat office, which VOA Dari said in August 2023 includes printing and delivery within 24 hours.
• Up to 1,000 afghanis for a renewal, the NRC reports, plus extra costs for photos, photocopies and help filling in the form.
• A paper tazkira costs 200 afghanis (NRC).

These figures are from 2023 and 2025. Ask at the centre what is charged today, and see the rate page for dollar equivalents.

Pay only at the centre, against a receipt. Nobody can sell you a faster card or a place in the queue. We found no published phone line for booking a turn, so do not pay anyone who says they can book one.

If the system is down

In January 2026 the e-tazkira system had technical problems for several days. NSIA announced on 28 January 2026 that it was working normally again. If a centre tells you the system is down, ask when to come back rather than paying someone to "fix" it.

Abroad

In the UAE, NSIA's centre at the Afghan embassy in Abu Dhabi had issued more than 4,100 cards by March 2026 (Pajhwok). For other countries, ask the nearest Afghan embassy or consulate; the tazkira tool lists what we have confirmed.