# SIM check on CNIC: how many SIMs are in your name, and how to block one you don't use

URL: https://which.pk/money/guides/sim-check-cnic/
Author: Hassam
Updated: 24 Oct 2026

## Summary

To check how many SIMs are registered on your CNIC, send your 13-digit CNIC number without dashes by SMS to 668, or enter it at cnic.sims.pk, PTA's SIM Information System. One CNIC can hold at most five SIMs across all operators, as the PTA chairman told a National Assembly committee in September 2026. PTA says to block any SIM in your name that you don't use, at the operator's franchise or customer service centre, and to report misuse on 0800-55055.

## Key facts

- Check by SMS: CNIC number to 668
- Check online: cnic.sims.pk
- Limit per CNIC: 5 SIMs
- Report misuse: PTA 0800-55055

For a SIM check on your CNIC, send your **13-digit CNIC number without dashes** by SMS to **668**, or enter it at **cnic.sims.pk**, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority's (PTA) SIM Information System. Either one tells you how many SIMs are registered in your name. One CNIC can hold at most **five SIMs** across all networks. Checked 24 October 2026.

**Why it matters:** You answer for SIMs in your name (PTA said on 5 June 2026 that if a SIM registered to you is used for something unlawful, you as the registered owner could be held responsible (ARY News). It asks people to block any SIM they don't recognise.)

## How do I check how many SIMs are on my CNIC?

PTA points people to two official ways, as of June 2026: SMS to 668 and the online portal.

### By SMS to 668

1. **Open a new SMS** on any phone.
2. **Type your CNIC number** with no dashes or spaces: 13 digits, for example 6110123456789.
3. **Send it to 668.**
4. **Read the reply.** Dawn reported at the launch that it lists how many SIMs are issued against your CNIC with each operator.

When PTA launched 668 in October 2009, each SMS cost **Rs 2** including tax (Dawn). We couldn't find the price as of 2026.

### Online at cnic.sims.pk

1. **Open cnic.sims.pk.** ARY reported in June 2025 that this is the portal PTA recommends.
2. **Enter your CNIC** without dashes. Foreign nationals choose the Foreign ID tab instead.
3. **Tick the captcha** and press Submit.
4. **See the total** number of SIMs registered against that CNIC.

PTA's own website, pta.gov.pk, didn't open from our connection on 24 October 2026. The steps above come from the portal itself and dated news reports of PTA's statements.

## Is there a code to check SIMs on my CNIC?

The "code" people search for is the **668** SMS service; there's no separate dial code from PTA that we could confirm. The same portal also has a network check: send **N** and the mobile number (for example N 03xx3456789) to **76367** to see which network a number is on, for **Rs 2 plus tax**.

## How many SIMs can one CNIC have?

**Five**, across all operators combined. On 3 September 2026 the PTA chairman told the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Interior that a sixth SIM can't be issued on the same CNIC (Pakistan Connect). PTA set this five-SIM limit in a 2012 directive, replacing an older limit of 10 SIMs per operator (PhoneWorld).

At the same meeting, PTA said about **18.2 million SIMs** had been blocked in the past two and a half years (National Assembly press release, Express Tribune). The committee asked for an **alert to customers whenever a new SIM is issued in their name**. As of October 2026 we found no report that this alert has started.

## How do I block a SIM in my name that I don't use?

PTA's June 2026 advice is to block "any unknown, unnecessary or suspicious" SIM linked to your CNIC immediately, and to get new SIMs only from **authorised franchises or customer service centres** (ARY News).

1. **Run the check** by 668 or cnic.sims.pk and note which operators show more SIMs than you use.
2. **Visit that operator's franchise or customer service centre.** Dawn's 2009 report of the launch also says to go to the operator to correct the record.
3. **Ask them to block the SIMs you don't own.**
4. **Check again** by 668 or cnic.sims.pk to see that the count has dropped.
5. **Report misuse to PTA** if a SIM was issued without your consent: toll-free **0800-55055** or complaint.pta.gov.pk (APP, December 2025).

We couldn't find an official PTA page that sets out the blocking procedure step by step, including what the operator checks. Ask the centre what it needs before you go.

## Can someone get a SIM on my CNIC without me?

It happens. In December 2025, PTA's Peshawar zonal office and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) raided a Ufone franchise after a woman from Mardan complained that her CNIC had been used to activate SIMs. They seized a biometric verification device and arrested two people, including the franchise owner (APP).

On 3 September 2026 the PTA chairman told MNAs that joint raids with NCCIA had recovered **25,000 SIMs** and led to **171 arrests** (ARY News). PTA's advice, as of June 2026, is to check your SIM count regularly.

**Don't use 'SIM database' sites:** Sites that promise a number's owner name, CNIC or location aren't official. In September 2025 the interior ministry ordered an NCCIA probe after reports that dozens of websites were selling SIM owners' addresses, call records and CNIC copies, at prices such as Rs 500 for a phone's location (Daily Pakistan). PTA's tools only count the SIMs against a CNIC; they don't reveal who owns a number.

## Can I check a SIM number by CNIC?

The 668 reply and cnic.sims.pk show the count of SIMs on a CNIC, not who owns a given number. As of October 2026 there's no official, public way to look up a stranger's SIM details.

For phones, a separate PTA system (DIRBS) decides whether a handset works on Pakistani networks; see [PTA tax on mobile phones](/travel/guides/pta-tax-mobile/). The same committee also discussed unauthorised withdrawals and rented bank accounts; if you use a mobile wallet, see [Easypaisa vs JazzCash](/money/guides/easypaisa-vs-jazzcash/).

More guides: [best SIM in Pakistan](/travel/guides/best-sim-pakistan/), [NADRA family registration certificate](/money/guides/nadra-frc/), [Raast](/money/guides/raast/), [Money](/money/).

## Questions people ask

### How many SIMs are on my CNIC?

Send your 13-digit CNIC number without dashes to 668, or enter it at cnic.sims.pk, PTA's SIM Information System. It shows how many SIMs are registered against that CNIC.

### How many SIMs can one CNIC have in Pakistan?

Five, across all operators combined. The PTA chairman repeated this limit to a National Assembly committee on 3 September 2026.

### How do I block a SIM registered on my CNIC that I don't use?

Go to an authorised franchise or customer service centre of the operator that issued it and ask them to block it. PTA said in June 2026 that you should block unknown or unneeded SIMs straight away.

### Can I find out who owns a mobile number online?

Not through any official service. PTA's tools only count the SIMs against a CNIC. Websites that sell SIM owner details were the subject of an NCCIA probe in September 2025.

## Sources

- [SIM Information System](https://cnic.sims.pk/), PTA (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- [PTA urges citizens to check SIMs registered against their CNICs (5 Jun 2026)](https://www.arynews.tv/pta-urges-citizens-to-check-sims-registered-against-their-cnics), ARY News (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- [PTA issues SIM registration warning to protect mobile identity (5 Jun 2025)](https://arynews.tv/pta-issues-sim-registration-warning-to-protect-mobile-identity/), ARY News (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- [Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control, press release (3 Sep 2026)](https://na.gov.pk/en/pressrelease_detail.php?id=8044), National Assembly of Pakistan (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- [PTA asked to curb SIM fraud, cyber scams (4 Sep 2026)](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2627344/pta-asked-to-curb-sim-fraud-cyber-scams), Express Tribune (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- [How many SIMs can one CNIC have? PTA chairman answers (3 Sep 2026)](https://thepakistanconnect.com/how-many-sims-can-one-cnic-have/), Pakistan Connect (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- [NCCIA recovers biometrics of 6 lac people in raids: PTA (3 Sep 2026)](https://arynews.tv/nccia-recovers-biometrics-6-lac-people-raids-pta), ARY News (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- [PTA intensifies crackdown against illegal issuance of SIMs (12 Dec 2025)](https://www.app.com.pk/?p=1128344), Associated Press of Pakistan (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- [Pakistani citizens', officials' data sold online; interior minister orders inquiry (7 Sep 2025)](https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/07-Sep-2025/pakistani-citizens-officials-data-sold-online-interior-minister-orders-inquiry), Daily Pakistan (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- [SIM information system introduced (16 Oct 2009)](https://www.dawn.com/news/891399), Dawn (accessed 24 Oct 2026)
- [Only 5 SIMs allowed against one CNIC (10 Dec 2012)](https://www.phoneworld.com.pk/only-5-sims-allowed-against-one-cnic/), PhoneWorld (accessed 24 Oct 2026)