Method Guide · SMS Route
668 SIM Check: One SMS Shows Every SIM on Your CNIC (2026)
The 668 SIM check is PTA’s official SMS service for counting the SIMs on your CNIC. Type your 13-digit CNIC without dashes, send it to 668, and the reply lists your registered SIMs per operator for about Rs 2. No internet, no app, no account. It reads the same national registry as the online portal.
Written and reviewed by Muhammad Hayan — Pakistan telecom & digital-identity specialist (PTA policy, PECA 2016, NADRA biometric). Service re-tested by SMS. Last reviewed: 11 July 2026 · Editorial standards · LinkedIn
This is the deep guide to one method. If you want the whole toolkit in one place, start at the CNIC SIM check guide; if you only have two minutes and a phone with balance, stay here. The 668 SIM check is the fastest audit of your mobile identity that exists in Pakistan.
On this page
What the 668 SIM check is
668 is the SMS window into Pakistan’s Subscriber Verification Management System, the PTA registry that binds every SIM to a CNIC. Text an identity number to it and the registry answers with a count: how many SIMs each operator holds against that CNIC. The reply is authoritative because it comes from the same system franchises and operators query, not from any third-party copy.
Notice what the service does not return. There are no names, no full mobile numbers and no addresses in a 668 reply, only per-operator totals. That thin format is deliberate privacy design; the record behind it is described field by field in our SIM card owner details guide, and the registry itself in the SIM information hub.
How to run the 668 SIM check, step by step
- Open a new SMS to the number 668 from any Pakistani SIM with balance.
- Type your 13-digit CNIC as digits only. No dashes, no spaces, nothing else in the message.
- Send it. The charge is about Rs 2 including tax.
- Read the reply, which usually lands within a minute and lists your SIMs per operator.
- Screenshot it with the date visible, so you hold a dated copy of your record.
That is the entire 668 SIM check. If the total matches the SIMs you actually use, you are done for the month.
Reading the 668 reply
A typical reply reads like a scoreboard: Jazz 2, Zong 1, Telenor 0, Ufone 1; each network’s own codes live in the by-network hub. Three rules turn that into meaning. The grand total must sit within Pakistan’s cap of eight SIMs per CNIC, five voice plus three data, a limit set by the Supreme Court on 5 November 2015. Ported numbers count under the operator they are on today, not the one their prefix suggests. And a SIM you abandoned years ago still counts until it is formally disowned at a franchise.
An unfamiliar entry is not a reason to panic, but it is a reason to act the same week. The count decoder explains every edge case, and the CNIC SIM check guide walks through disowning step by step.
Cost, coverage and limits
- Price: about Rs 2 per SMS including tax, charged by your operator.
- Works from: any Pakistani SIM on any network, with no internet needed.
- Answers for: the CNIC you text, which is why it stays useful even when your own SIM is dead and you borrow a phone.
- Does not work from: foreign numbers. Overseas Pakistanis should use the free portal route instead, covered in our online check guide.
- Input format: exactly 13 digits. A NICOP or POC holder checking from abroad also belongs on the portal, which accepts those documents.
When 668 fails: quick fixes
- Error or no reply: the usual cause is formatting. Re-send with digits only, since dashes and spaces break the lookup.
- Still silent: check your balance, wait a few minutes, then retry once. Short-code traffic queues during network congestion.
- Repeated failure: switch channels. The free portal at cnic.sims.pk reads the same registry, and our portal guide covers it end to end.
- Reply looks wrong: if the count disagrees with reality, take a screenshot to the operator’s franchise rather than re-texting all day. Registry disputes are fixed at counters, not by SMS.
668 vs the portal and 667
Think of the three official channels as one registry with three doors. 668 is the SMS door for your CNIC-wide count. The portal is the browser door with the same count plus the voice-and-data split, free and available worldwide. 667 answers a different question entirely, verifying the single SIM in your hand before porting or after buying it.
| Channel | Job it does | Cost | Reply time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 668 SMS | Counts every SIM on your CNIC | About Rs 2 + tax | ~30 seconds |
| cnic.sims.pk | Same count, free on the web | Free | Instant |
| 667 SMS | Verifies the SIM in your hand | About Rs 2–2.5 + tax | ~30 seconds |
| 76367 SMS | Names any number’s network | Standard SMS charge | ~30 seconds |
Use 668 when you have balance and no internet, the portal when you are abroad or want detail, and 667 when one specific SIM is the puzzle. The full comparison sits in 667 vs 668.
668 SIM check Roman-Urdu mein
668 SIM check PTA ki sarkari SMS service hai. Apna 13-hindsa CNIC bina dash ke likh kar 668 par bhejein; taqreeban Rs 2 mein jawab aata hai ke har network par aap ke kitne SIM registered hain. Naam ya poora number kabhi nahi aata, sirf ginti. Total 8 se zyada nahi hona chahiye (5 voice + 3 data). Koi anjaan SIM nikle to usi hafte franchise par asli CNIC ke sath disown karwayein. Internet na ho to yeh tareeqa sab se tez hai; bahar-e-mulk hon to cnic.sims.pk kholein.
668 SIM check FAQs
How much does the 668 SIM check cost?
About Rs 2 per SMS including tax, charged by your operator. The reply itself is free, and the online portal alternative at cnic.sims.pk costs nothing at all.
Does 668 show names or mobile numbers?
No. The reply is a per-operator count only. Names, full numbers and CNIC details stay sealed inside the registry, which is the system’s privacy design rather than a fault.
Can I use 668 for someone else’s CNIC?
The service replies for whatever CNIC you send, but obtaining another person’s identity information without authorisation is an offence under Section 16 of PECA 2016. Check your own record, or a family member’s with consent.
Does the 668 SIM check work from abroad?
Not from foreign numbers. Use cnic.sims.pk instead, which is free, works worldwide and accepts NICOP and POC numbers exactly like a CNIC.
How fast is the 668 reply?
Usually under a minute. During congestion it can take longer; if nothing arrives, re-check your message format and balance, then try the portal as the fallback.