School Admission Documents in Pakistan: A Checklist for Parents

Every school we checked publishes a different list, but the same few items come up again and again: something that proves the child's date of birth, photographs and a record from the previous school, with a parent's identity card on several lists. Where schools differ is in which version of each document they accept, whether they want originals or copies, and what extra paperwork they add. That is why the safest habit is to treat any general checklist, including this one, as a starting point and to ask each school on your shortlist for its own current list.

Start with proof of age, because most schools set admission by age and check it. The birth certificate and the B-form are two different documents. Under NADRA's amended rules, reported by ProPakistani in June 2025, a child's birth must first be registered with the Union Council before NADRA issues a Child Registration Certificate, the document most parents call the B-form. What NADRA collects then depends on the child's age: nothing biometric for a child under three, a photograph (plus an iris scan where the facility exists) between three and ten, and fingerprints, photographs and iris scans between ten and eighteen. Each child also gets their own certificate, which carries a validity period. If your child does not yet have a B-form and a school asks for one, that sequence (Union Council first, then NADRA) is worth starting early.

Schools then ask for these documents in different forms. The City School asks for an attested photocopy of the birth certificate. The Punjab School says a fresh admission needs a birth certificate issued by NADRA or the relevant local bodies office. Lawrence College asks for a copy of the candidate's NADRA Form-B or NICOP. Lahore Grammar School's admission procedure page for its Gulberg campuses (31 FCC, 30 Main and 55 Main) accepts any one of a Smart Card copy, B-form copy, NADRA birth certificate copy or passport copy; the page is undated and links a 2022-23 fee bill, so confirm the list is current. Habib Girls School's 2026-27 lateral admissions list in Karachi asked for a copy of the birth certificate or B-form. Karachi Grammar School's Year VII 2026 verification notice asked for both an original birth certificate, described as not a recent extract, and an original B-form, NICOP or Smart Card issued by NADRA, each with a photocopy. Aitchison College's 2027-28 application form lists a hospital birth certificate (attested or original) and a NADRA birth certificate or family registration certificate (original). If your only birth certificate is a recently issued copy, ask KGS what it will accept before the verification day.

Parents' identity cards appear on four of the nine lists we read. The Federal Directorate of Education's 2025-26 notice for Islamabad Model Schools and Colleges asked for attested copies of the parents' CNICs. KGS's Year VII 2026 notice asked for the original CNIC of both parents with a photocopy, and its 2026-27 Nursery notice asked parents to bring their CNIC for identification when collecting an offer letter. Habib Girls School's 2026-27 lateral list asked for a copy of the parent or guardian's CNIC, and Aitchison asks for photocopies of the parents' identity cards. Photographs vary in number: The City School and Habib Girls School ask for two passport-size photos, LGS for two, Aitchison for three, Lawrence College for four and KGS's Year VII notice for one.

A child changing schools needs paperwork from the old school, and the name of that document changes from school to school. FDE's 2025-26 notice asked for the result card of the previous class and a school leaving certificate, which, for a child coming from a private institution, had to be verified by PEIRA, the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority that regulates private schools in Islamabad Capital Territory. PEIRA has also made the certificate compulsory in private schools there: a notification dated 11 May 2023 directs all private schools in ICT to grant new admissions only on a school leaving certificate from the student's previous school, which it says is issued on clearance of all dues. The rule does not apply to children who have never been enrolled in a school, or to non-profit schools enrolling out-of-school children. The Punjab School asks a student migrating from another school for a transfer certificate, the last progress report and a receipt of school fee. The City School asks transfer students for the last school's report card and photocopies of the provisional certificate and character certificate. Aitchison asks for the last school report and games record, and includes a school report and declaration form that the previous school fills in and returns. In practice, clear any dues at the old school before you ask for its certificate: PEIRA ties the certificate to clearance of dues, and The Punjab School's list includes a fee receipt from the previous school.

Some schools add requirements that catch families off guard. FDE's 2025-26 notice asked for residential proof, such as a government house allotment, a rent agreement or utility bills, and a service certificate for government employees. Eligibility under that notice was limited to Islamabad residents and federal government employees living in Islamabad or Rawalpindi. Aitchison's form asks for copies of income tax returns or land revenue challans. Habib Girls School's 2026-27 lateral list asked for a vaccination or immunisation card for Grade 3 to Grade 8, and LGS's page still lists a Covid-19 vaccine certificate. Sadiq Public School in Bahawalpur does not list identity documents on its admission policy page, but before admission is confirmed it asks for a written undertaking that parents and student have read its rules, a signed code of conduct, medical clearance from its Senior Medical Officer and a receipt for the admission fee; parents who live abroad or travel often must also name a legal representative who is a permanent resident of Pakistan, with verified documents.

Know whether to send originals or copies, and how. Lawrence College wants only copies posted with the application; parents bring the originals on test day, and the college hands them back after checking them. Its applications for the 2027 session must arrive before 12 November 2026, with a Rs 5,000 non-refundable processing fee and the test on 15 November 2026. Aitchison wants its completed form and documents by courier to reach the college by 5 pm on 30 November 2026 for day-boy applications and 31 December 2026 for boarding applications. Habib Girls School took online registrations for 2026-27 from 15 November 2025 to 16 January 2026, with documents uploaded as PDF or image files and a Rs 3,000 non-refundable fee, and says incomplete applications are not processed. LGS asks for everything in a sealed envelope labelled with the student's name and class. Complete paperwork does not secure a seat: The City School and The Punjab School say registration does not guarantee admission, and Aitchison's form says the same of an application.

SchoolNama cannot yet tell you any school's document list. None of our 6,666 campus records across 15 launch cities lists an admission document in its admissions details, so treat the school itself as the only reliable source. Use /schools or your city page, such as /karachi, /lahore or /islamabad, to build a shortlist, compare finalists on /compare, and then ask each school for its list in writing. If you are also checking whether your child is old enough, our guides to Class 1 admission age (/news/class-1-admission-age-pakistan), nursery age (/news/nursery-age-pakistan) and playgroup age (/news/playgroup-age-pakistan) cover the age rules.