ISLAMABAD: Families dealing with inheritance can now get the exact process and list of documents for their case from an automated chatbot, introduced on the revamped succession website of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

The chatbot, called “ID”, works in Urdu and English on any phone or computer.

It asks the user a few simple questions about the deceased, the legal heirs and the assets, and then generates on its own the steps to follow and a checklist of only those documents that the particular case needs. No Nadra official is involved in the exchange.

Nadra spokesman Syed Shabahat Ali said the chatbot runs entirely online through a series of questions and answers, without asking for CNIC numbers or other personal details. Heirs living abroad are guided to complete their biometric verification online through the Pak ID facility.

The chatbot also tells users which office can take up their case. It warns them early if the matter will have to go to court, such as when an heir is a minor or the heirs are in dispute.

The chatbot interface advises the public to use it as a reference tool only, and to “always confirm final requirements” with the nearest Nadra registration centre.

The authority has been issuing succession certificates and letters of administration in uncontested cases since 2021. The chatbot offers guidance before the applicant reaches a Nadra office with a formal application.

Almost every family in Pakistan has to go through succession at some point, yet the requirements differ from case to case.

The law varies with the faith and sect of the deceased, and the procedure changes from province to province. Sindh, for instance, requires three newspaper advertisements, while other jurisdictions require two.

Many applicants usually learn such details only at a Nadra counter, often after travelling from another city.

The website makes it clear that Nadra can issue a succession certificate or letter of administration only in uncontested cases, where all legal heirs agree and have no dispute among them, no heir is a minor or mentally disabled, and the matter is neither pending before a court nor already decided by one.

The deceased must be in Nadra’s records and the heirs must be registered in the Family Registration Certificate (FRC), while the applicant must hold a valid CNIC, Nadra card or Pakistan Origin Card (POC), as the old manual NIC is no longer accepted.

A legal heir has to visit a Nadra centre in person, except in Sindh and Balochistan, where a lawyer can appear on his behalf. If any condition is not fulfilled, Nadra does not issue the certificate and the family has to approach the court.

For an application to be accepted, the family has to produce the death certificate of the deceased issued by the relevant union council, municipal authority or cantonment board, along with the receipt of cancellation of the deceased’s CNIC, FRC, and copies of the CNICs of all legal heirs.

They also need a Schedule-I letter of authorisation attested by an oath commissioner, and the original property documents, as photocopies are not accepted.

In some cases, additional documents are required. For immovable property in Sindh, a search certificate has to be obtained, while in Sindh and Balochistan, a wakalatnama (power of attorney) is also required if the application is filed through a lawyer. If the deceased was a government or private employee, a letter from the concerned department about pension or service dues is also needed.

The fee for a succession certificate or letter of administration is Rs10,000 where total assets are less than Rs100,000, and Rs20,000 where assets are Rs100,000 or more, except in Sindh where it is Rs22,000. A duplicate certificate costs Rs5,000.