By documentفیملی رجسٹریشن سرٹیفکیٹ
FRC and Family Registration Certificate Translation
The FRC is the document that proves relationships, which is why family visa checklists ask for it even when they already have birth certificates. A birth certificate proves a birth happened. The FRC proves who belongs to whom, which is the question a visa officer is actually asking.
What is a frc?
An FRC is a NADRA Family Registration Certificate, a computerised extract listing a family unit and the relationships within it. Family and dependant visa files ask for it because a birth certificate proves a birth while the FRC proves the relationship to the sponsor. Translation starts from Rs. 1,000. It is often bilingual, so you may need attested copies instead.
- Starting price
- Rs. 1,000
- Turnaround
- Standard delivery at the normal rate. Usually one of the faster documents.
- Issued by
- NADRA, as a computerised extract of the family unit registered against the head of family
Fields that must match your passport
A mismatch here is the commonest avoidable rejection.
- Head of family's full name and CNIC number
- Every listed member's name, matched to their own passport or CNIC
- Father's name, waldiyat, for each member
- Relationship terms, rendered consistently across the whole file
Who usually asks for it
- Embassies assessing family, spouse and dependant visas
- Gulf employers sponsoring family residence
- Government departments verifying dependants
Why this document gets rejected
- Submitting birth certificates alone, so the file proves the births but never establishes the relationship to the sponsor
- A member's name spelled differently on the FRC than on their own passport, breaking the chain the officer is trying to follow
Where attestation sits
Obtain the NADRA computerised FRC first, then MOFA where required, then the destination embassy, then translation. A handwritten or older record will usually be refused before the chain starts.
Read the attestation sequenceWhat the FRC answers that a birth certificate does not
Family visa files fail on relationships more often than on births.
A birth certificate (CRC) proves a birth happened, to named parents, on a stated date.
An FRC proves the family unit — who is registered together against the head of family, and how they relate.
A visa officer assessing a dependant application is asking: is this applicant related to the sponsor in the way claimed? The FRC is the document that answers it. Submitting only birth certificates produces a file that proves your children exist without establishing them as your dependants in the form the officer needs.
Most family checklists want both. This is the commonest omission we see on family files.
Check whether you need a translation at all
NADRA computerised certificates are frequently issued bilingually.
If your FRC already carries English alongside the Urdu, what you need is attested copies, not a translation. Send a photograph before ordering and we will tell you which — including when the answer is that you need nothing from us.
Where only part is in Urdu — a seal, an endorsement, a marginal note — that portion may need translating while the rest does not.
Relationship terms, consistently
Urdu kinship terms are more specific than English ones. There is often more than one defensible rendering.
What matters is not the individual choice but consistency across the whole file. A term rendered one way on the FRC and differently on a supporting affidavit gives the reader two accounts of the same family, and that inconsistency is precisely what a reviewing officer notices.
Same for names: every listed member matched to their own passport or CNIC, and waldiyat rendered the same way throughout. Send the full family set together and one convention is applied across all of it.
An FRC is a snapshot, and it goes stale
This catches people out.
An FRC reflects the register at the time of issue. Births, deaths, marriages, and CNIC changes since then do not appear. Most authorities want a recent certificate, and some specify how recent.
Obtain a current FRC before translating. Translating a stale extract wastes the work and produces a document that will be questioned anyway.
Sequence
- Obtain the NADRA computerised FRC — a handwritten or older record will usually be refused before the chain starts
- MOFA attestation, where your destination requires it
- Destination embassy attestation
- Translation
Attestation stamps go on the original, so translate last.
Roman spellings people search
FRC · family registration certificate · fard. Some clients also say fard-e-mulkiyat, but that is a land ownership record and a different document entirely — worth being clear about when you ask.
Related
NADRA birth certificate translation for family visas covers the CRC and the name mismatches that get family files returned. Nikah Nama translation covers the marriage side. For the general service, see official document translation.
Send the FRC, the CRCs, both parents’ CNICs and the passports together. One spelling gets applied across the whole family, which is the point.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an FRC actually prove?
The family unit and the relationships within it, as registered with NADRA against the head of family. That is a different question from a birth certificate, which proves a birth occurred. A visa officer assessing a dependant application needs to know the applicant is related to the sponsor, and the FRC is the document that answers it.
Do I need an FRC as well as birth certificates?
Most family visa checklists want both, and this is the commonest omission we see. The birth certificate, or CRC, establishes the birth. The FRC establishes the relationship to the sponsor. Submitting only the CRCs produces a file that proves your children exist without proving they are yours in the way the officer needs.
Is the FRC already in English?
NADRA computerised certificates are commonly issued bilingually, in which case you need attested copies rather than a translation. Send a photograph before ordering and we will tell you honestly. If only part of it is in Urdu, that portion may need translating while the rest does not.
How are relationship terms translated?
Consistently across the entire file, which matters more than the individual choice. Urdu kinship terms are more specific than English ones, and a term rendered one way on the FRC and another way on a supporting affidavit gives a reader two different accounts of the same family. Send the whole set together and one convention is applied throughout.
My FRC is out of date. Does that matter?
Often yes. An FRC is a snapshot at the time of issue, so births, deaths, marriages, and CNIC changes since then are not reflected. Most authorities want a recent one, and some specify how recent. Obtain a current FRC before translating, because translating a stale extract wastes the work.
What does FRC translation cost?
From Rs. 1,000, the simple document rate, and it is usually one of the faster documents we handle. If you are translating a full family set including CRCs, CNICs and the Nikah Nama, send them together and we will quote the set, which is cheaper and safer for consistency.
Send the document and we will quote it
Photograph every page and both sides, include your passport so names match, and tell us where it is being submitted. Price and turnaround confirmed before any work starts.