Method 1, Mastered
668 SIM Check: Send One SMS, See Every SIM on Your CNIC
The 668 SIM check is Pakistan’s quickest self-audit. Type your 13-digit CNIC with no dashes, SMS it to 668, and about 30 seconds later PTA’s registry replies with your operator-wise SIM count, network by network, for about Rs 2 with tax. This page covers the format, the reply, and every fix when nothing comes back; the wider picture lives at Check SIM Owner Details Pakistan.
Key takeaways
- Format: your 13-digit CNIC, no dashes, SMS to 668 (about Rs 2 with tax).
- The reply is an operator-wise count from SVMS, the subscriber verification registry — usually inside 30 seconds.
- Counts only: no names, no full numbers, nobody else’s record.
- Free twin: cnic.sims.pk, same registry, plus activation dates.
- Unfamiliar entry? Franchise disowning, capped at Rs 200 and waived in fraud.
One boundary first, as always. A 668 sim check reads your own record and nobody else’s, because the code answers for the CNIC you send, not the SIM you send it from. Trying to pull a stranger’s details is a PECA Section 16 offence, spelled out on our legality page. Everything below stays on the right side of that line.
On this page
How the 668 SIM check works
- Type your 13-digit CNIC — digits only, no dashes.
- SMS it to 668 (about Rs 2 with tax).
- Read the reply: your SIM count, network by network, usually in ~30 seconds.
- Screenshot it with the date visible.
Three steps, no app, no account. Open your SMS composer, type your 13-digit CNIC as one unbroken string (no dashes, no spaces), and send it to 668. The service works from any Pakistani SIM on any network, and it charges roughly Rs 2 including tax per query.
Behind the code sits SVMS, the national registry that ties every biometrically verified SIM to a CNIC; the same record the regulator itself reads. Your SMS asks that registry one question about one CNIC. The reply comes back in about 30 seconds on a normal day, a few minutes on a congested one. That’s the whole machine; the jargon around it is decoded in our glossary.
Reading the reply, line by line
The reply is a count, split by operator. Expect a line each for Jazz, Zong, Telenor, Ufone, and where relevant SCO and ONIC, with the number of SIMs registered against your CNIC on that network. No names appear, and no phone numbers; that privacy cut is deliberate.
| What you see | What it means | Your move |
|---|---|---|
| Per-network counts | SIMs registered on your CNIC with each operator | Add them up; compare against what you actually use |
| Total at or under 8 | Within the legal cap (5 voice + 3 data) | Screenshot with the date; done till next month |
| A count you don’t recognize | Possible unknown or forgotten SIM | Follow the moves on the count page |
That screenshot habit earns its keep. A dated 668 reply is the baseline you’ll wave at a franchise counter someday, and the before-and-after proof if a rogue SIM ever appears. Thirty seconds now, an argument won later.
No reply? The fix list
Silence has boring causes, so work down this table before assuming anything dramatic.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No reply at all | Format broke the parser | Re-send: 13 digits, zero dashes, zero spaces |
| SMS won’t send | Balance under about Rs 2 | Recharge, try again |
| Sent, still nothing after 10 min | Network congestion or a service window | Wait, retry once; or use the free portal — same registry, no SMS |
| Repeated failures over days | SIM-side service issue | One line to your operator’s helpline (Jazz 111 · Zong 310 · Telenor 345 · Ufone 333) |
Nothing on that list costs more than a retry. The portal fallback matters most for overseas readers, since 668 needs a Pakistani SIM and the browser route doesn’t.
Mistakes that waste your Rs 2
Here are the classics, collected from real reader emails over the months. Typing the CNIC with dashes, the single most common failure. Sending it to 667 by muscle memory — that code verifies the SIM in your hand for porting, a different job. Texting 9000 and waiting, when 9000 is the spam-report line. Expecting names or numbers in the reply, which the service never returns for anyone. And checking once, feeling reassured, then never checking again.
One more that costs more than Rs 2: downloading a “668 checker app”. No such app exists officially. The SMS is the method, and anything wearing that name in an app store is harvesting CNICs, a racket we take apart on the pak sim data page.
668 vs the portal: when to use which
Both read the same SVMS registry, so the counts always agree. Pick by situation. 668 wins when you’re offline, mid-commute, or on a basic phone: one SMS, about Rs 2, done. The portal (cnic.sims.pk) wins everywhere else, because it’s free, works worldwide, accepts NICOP and POC, and shows each SIM’s activation date — the field 668 skips and the one that runs the 365-day disowning clock. Full walkthrough: the portal guide.
Habit-wise, most readers settle on the portal monthly plus 668 whenever something feels off. All 12 official channels, including the eight support ones, sit compared on the methods hub.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 668 SIM check free?
No, it costs about Rs 2 including tax per SMS. The free official alternative is cnic.sims.pk, which reads the same registry. Sites claiming 668 is free make our myths list.
How long does the reply take?
A normal reply lands in about 30 seconds flat. Network congestion can stretch that to a few minutes. Past ten minutes, re-check your format and balance, retry once, then switch to the portal.
Does 668 show phone numbers or names?
Neither. The reply is a per-network count of SIMs on your CNIC, nothing more. To learn the number of a SIM you’re physically holding, use the own-number codes listed on the methods hub.
Can I run a 668 SIM check from abroad?
Only if you’re carrying a working Pakistani SIM with roaming. The practical overseas route is cnic.sims.pk — free, browser-based, and it accepts NICOP and POC.
The count looks wrong. Now what?
Start by screenshotting the reply with its date visible. Then follow the decision table on the count page: identify the SIM, disown what isn’t yours at the franchise, and involve NCCIA at 1799 the same day if it smells like fraud.
Roman Urdu mein
668 SIM check sab se tez tareeqa hai: 13-hindsa CNIC (bina dash, bina space) likh kar 668 par SMS karein, 30 second ke andar reply aata hai: har network par aapke kitne SIM hain, kharcha taqreeban Rs 2 (tax ke sath). Reply mein naam ya phone number nahi aate, sirf ginti aati hai. Agar jawab na aaye to format aur balance check karein, phir cnic.sims.pk use karein (free, wahi registry). Apna bhoola hua number nikalna ho to codes ki master sheet dekhein. Screenshot date ke sath save rakhein — yehi aapka saboot hai.
Written and reviewed by Muhammad Hamza, founder and editor of CnicSimInfo. The 668 SIM check on this page traces to PTA‘s published channels and gets re-tested on real SIMs every quarter, alongside cnic.sims.pk. Last reviewed: 8 July 2026. See our Editorial Standards and the dated changelog.