Method Guide · Code Comparison
667 vs 668: Which SIM Check Code Do You Actually Need? (2026)
667 verifies the one SIM in your hand; 668 counts every SIM on your CNIC. Send MNP to 667 from a SIM to confirm its registration against a masked CNIC, or SMS your 13-digit CNIC to 668 for your full per-operator count. Different questions, different codes — most people need 668 first.
Written and reviewed by Muhammad Hayan — Pakistan telecom & digital-identity specialist (PTA policy, PECA 2016, NADRA biometric). Both codes re-tested by SMS. Last reviewed: 11 July 2026 · Editorial standards · LinkedIn
People mix these two codes up constantly, text the wrong one, and conclude the system is broken. It is not. The 667 vs 668 split is actually the cleanest design decision in Pakistan’s SIM toolkit, and once you see which question each code answers, you will never confuse them again.
On this page
The one-line difference
Both codes read the same PTA registry, but they aim at it from opposite ends. 667 starts from a SIM and asks “is this card properly registered, and to which masked identity?” 668 starts from an identity and asks “how many SIMs sit on this CNIC, per operator?”
That is the entire distinction. One code audits a card, the other audits a person’s record. Keep that sentence and the rest of this page is just detail and edge cases, with the registry itself explained in our SIM information hub.
What 667 does
667 is the SIM-verification code. You send the word MNP to 667 from the SIM you want to verify, and the reply confirms its registration status against a masked CNIC at the operator’s standard SMS rate. The masking is the point: you learn whether the card is legitimately registered and whether the visible digits match your own document, without the service ever exposing a full identity.
The physical requirement is the safety feature. Because the SMS must come from the SIM itself, 667 cannot be aimed at a stranger’s number, which is why it stays legal while “lookup” sites do not. If your real goal is identifying an unknown caller, that path does not exist for anyone; our by-number guide explains the honest version of that answer.
What 668 does
668 is the census code. SMS your 13-digit CNIC, digits only, to 668, pay about Rs 2, and the reply counts your SIMs per operator: Jazz, Zong, Telenor, Ufone and the rest. The total has to respect Pakistan’s cap of eight, five voice plus three data, set by the Supreme Court on 5 November 2015.
Where 667 tells you about one card, 668 catches what you cannot see: SIMs issued on your identity that were never in your hands. That is why 668 is the monthly-habit code, with the full walkthrough in our 668 SIM check guide and its free browser twin covered in the cnic.sims.pk portal guide.
667 vs 668 side by side
| Feature | 667 | 668 |
|---|---|---|
| Question answered | Is this SIM registered, and to which masked CNIC? | How many SIMs are on my CNIC, per operator? |
| What you send | MNP, from the SIM being checked | Your 13-digit CNIC, from any Pakistani SIM |
| Reply | Registration status + masked CNIC | Per-operator SIM counts |
| Cost | Operator’s standard SMS rate | About Rs 2 including tax |
| Needs the SIM in hand | Yes, always | No |
| Typical moment | Before porting; after buying or finding a SIM | Monthly identity audit |
Notice the pairing rather than the rivalry. A serious audit uses both: 668 to count the record, 667 to interrogate any physical card whose status you doubt.
Which code for your situation
- Monthly hygiene: 668. If the count matches your drawer, done in a minute.
- About to port your number: 667 first, so registration surprises surface before the request, not during it.
- Found an old SIM in a drawer: insert it and send MNP to 667, then run 668 to see whether it still counts against your CNIC.
- Bought a device with a SIM inside: 667 immediately. A card registered to someone else belongs at a franchise, not in your phone.
- Unknown number keeps calling: neither code. That is a reporting problem, and the legal routes live in our PECA 2016 guide.
667 vs 668 Roman-Urdu mein
Farq aik line ka hai: 667 haath wali SIM ko check karta hai, 668 poore CNIC ka hisaab deta hai. Jis SIM par shak ho usi se MNP likh kar 667 par bhejein; jawab mein registration status aur masked CNIC aata hai. Apne saare SIM ginne hon to 13-hindsa CNIC 668 par SMS karein (taqreeban Rs 2), har operator ki ginti aa jati hai. Porting se pehle 667, mahine mein aik baar 668 — aur kisi anjaan caller ka naam nikalna dono se mumkin nahi, na kisi aur tareeqe se legal hai.
667 vs 668 FAQs
Can 667 check any mobile number?
No. The MNP message must be sent from the SIM being verified, so 667 only ever answers for a card physically in your possession. It cannot be pointed at someone else’s number.
What exactly do I send to 667 and 668?
To 667: the word MNP, from the SIM you are checking. To 668: your 13-digit CNIC with no dashes, from any Pakistani SIM. Nothing else in either message.
Which code should I use before porting?
667. It confirms the SIM’s registration status before the porting request, which is exactly when a mismatch would otherwise stall the process at the franchise.
Do 667 and 668 read different databases?
No, both read PTA’s Subscriber Verification Management System. They just enter it from opposite ends: 667 from a SIM, 668 from a CNIC.
Does either code show an owner’s name?
Never. 667 masks the CNIC in its reply and 668 returns counts only. Names stay sealed in the registry, and services promising otherwise are the scams our Pak SIM data page documents.