Plain English
SIM Verification Glossary (Pakistan) — SVMS, BVS, DIRBS, MNP & More
Every term you’ll meet while checking SIM owner details in Pakistan, defined in plain English — from SVMS (the registry behind 668) to SIM disowning (how you remove an unauthorised SIM). Each definition is verified and kept current; if a term confuses you elsewhere, this page is the reference.
Written and reviewed by Muhammad Hayan — Pakistan telecom & digital-identity specialist (PTA policy, PECA 2016, NADRA biometric). Last reviewed: 3 July 2026 · Editorial standards · LinkedIn
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SIM Owner Details
The CNIC-linked registration record PTA keeps for every SIM: the owner’s full name, 13-digit CNIC, network operator, activation date, biometric status and SIM status. Public checks (668, cnic.sims.pk) return only a per-operator count of your own SIMs — never the full record, and never anyone else’s.
SVMS — Subscriber Verification Management System
PTA’s national backend registry linking every biometrically activated SIM to a CNIC. It’s the system both 668 and cnic.sims.pk read from. SVMS has no public API — which is precisely why every “enter any number” website is fake or illegal.
BVS / MBVS — (Multi-)Biometric Verification System
NADRA’s fingerprint-matching step that legally binds a SIM to a CNIC at activation. Check your status: Jazz — CNIC to 6001; Telenor — CNIC to 7751; Zong/Ufone — V to 7911. Since January 2026 a facial-recognition certificate (Rs 20, valid 7 days) exists as a fingerprint-failure fallback. Status codes for all four networks: biometric verification guide.
DIRBS — Device Identification, Registration & Blocking System
PTA’s registry for handsets, keyed to the IMEI. It decides whether a device may use Pakistani networks and blocks stolen or non-compliant phones. Dial *#06# for your IMEI and SMS it to 8484 for status. Pakistan uses DIRBS — CEIR is India’s system, whatever some sites claim.
MNP — Mobile Number Portability
The framework that lets you keep your number while changing networks (via franchise + biometric, completing in ~4 working days). It’s also why a prefix no longer proves the network — a 0300 number may now live on Zong. “MNP” to 667 verifies the SIM in your hand; 76367 names a number’s current operator.
CNIC — Computerised National Identity Card
Your 13-digit national identity number, and the anchor every SIM in Pakistan is registered against. It survives renewals unchanged. An expired CNIC can get your SIMs suspended — ~8.1 million SIMs sat on renewal-due CNICs per PTA’s April 2026 advisory.
NICOP / POC
Identity cards for overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) and Pakistan-origin foreign nationals (POC). A NICOP works exactly like a CNIC on cnic.sims.pk, letting you audit your SIM owner details from anywhere in the world; POC holders are capped at two SIMs.
PECA 2016
The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act — Pakistan’s cybercrime law. Section 16 (unauthorised use of identity information: up to 3 years and/or Rs 5 million) is why stranger lookups are criminal; Section 17 covers fraudulent SIM issuance (up to 3 years and/or Rs 500,000). Enforced by the NCCIA since April 2025.
The Codes — 668 · 667 · 76367 · 9000
668: SMS your CNIC for a per-operator count of your SIMs (~Rs 2). 667: send “MNP” from a SIM in your hand to verify its registration. 76367: SMS any number to learn only its current network. 9000: forward spam (number + space + message) to report it. Full list on the master code reference. Method guides: 668, 667 vs 668 and 76367. Network-wise versions live in the by-network hub.
SIM Disowning
The formal process of rejecting a SIM wrongly registered on your CNIC: visit the operator’s franchise with your original CNIC, complete biometric verification, use the exact phrase “SIM Disowning”, and keep the reference receipt. Fee: up to Rs 200 (waived for fraud). Since 24 May 2026, newly activated SIMs are locked against disowning for 365 days — file your PTA complaint immediately anyway to create the dated record. Every dated rule change of this kind — advisories, fees, waiting periods — is logged with named sources in CnicSimInfo’s PTA SIM news changelog.
Ghost / Unauthorised SIM
A SIM registered on your CNIC without your knowledge — via a copied CNIC, franchise-level fraud or a stolen fingerprint. It can receive your bank OTPs and creates legal liability in your name. A monthly 668 check is how you catch one early.
SIM Swap
Fraud in which a criminal obtains a duplicate SIM for your number, killing your signal and intercepting your OTPs. Sudden unexplained “no service” is the red flag — call your operator immediately from another phone.
Ported Number
A number moved to a different operator under MNP while keeping its digits. Its prefix reflects history, not the present — confirm the live network with 76367 before assuming.
eSIM
A digitally provisioned SIM activated by QR code after the same biometric verification as plastic SIMs. Offered by Jazz, Zong and Ufone (ONIC is app-based); counts toward your 8-SIM cap and appears in your 668 count like any other SIM.
IMEI — International Mobile Equipment Identity
The 15-digit serial number identifying your handset (not your SIM). Dial *#06# to see it, SMS it to 8484 for DIRBS status, and quote it when blocking a lost phone via PTA’s Lost & Stolen Device System. Write yours down today — you’ll want it on the worst day, not after.
FRC — Family Registration Certificate
The NADRA document proving family relationships — required (with the death certificate and CNICs) when blocking, transferring or disowning a deceased relative’s SIMs at operator franchises.
OTP — One-Time Password
The single-use code banks and wallets send by SMS. The prize in every SIM-swap and social-engineering scam — which is why no legitimate institution ever asks you to read one out, and why app-based 2FA beats SMS codes.
DNC Register — 3627
Pakistan’s Do-Not-Call registry for stopping marketing calls and SMS: send “reg” to 3627 (Telenor users dial *3627#). Different job from 9000, which reports spam and scams.
Ready to put the vocabulary to work? Start with the complete SIM owner details guide — every method, rule and safeguard in one place.