668 SMS Code Explained: Check All Your SIMs Instantly
You're at a franchise counter, ready to buy a new SIM, and the person behind the glass says your CNIC has hit its limit. You count on your fingers. Two SIMs, maybe three. So where are the rest? It's a slightly sinking feeling, and it's exactly what PTA's 668 service was built for. You text your CNIC number to a short code, wait a few seconds, and find out how many SIMs each mobile company has registered against it. No app, no login, no internet. This guide covers the format, the cost, what the reply does and doesn't tell you, and what to do when nothing comes back or the count doesn't add up.
Open your messages, type your 13-digit CNIC with no dashes or spaces, and send it to 668. The reply lists how many SIMs each mobile company has registered on that CNIC. It's a count, not a list of numbers. Most guides put the charge at about Rs. 2 plus tax per SMS, while PTA's own wording only says charges may apply.
For most people this is a two-minute job. The rest of the guide is for the moments when it isn't.
"I sent it and nothing came back"
Balance, signal and typos cause most silent failures.
Go to the fixes →What 668 Actually Is
668 is a short code that belongs to PTA's SIM Information System. PTA introduced it in October 2009, and the idea has barely changed since: you send your CNIC number, and you learn how many SIMs are registered against it, split by mobile company. PTA's own description says the goal is to make sure SIMs sit under the CNIC of the person who genuinely uses them, and it keeps a dedicated page for the 668 service.
It's still very much alive. In June 2026, PTA again urged citizens to check the SIMs registered on their CNICs, either on the online portal or by texting 668, and to block anything unknown, unnecessary or suspicious.
One thing to get straight early: 668 only informs. It doesn't block, disown or transfer a SIM. When you find a problem, the fixing happens at the operator's end, and we'll get to that below. If you'd like the wider picture first, our online SIM owner check tutorial lays every method side by side.
Sending It in 30 Seconds
- Open your normal messaging app. This is a plain SMS, so WhatsApp won't do.
- Start a new message to 668.
- Type your CNIC number. Thirteen digits, nothing else.
- Send it from any active SIM with a little balance. The count belongs to your CNIC, not to the SIM you texted from.
- Wait for the reply. Most guides say it lands within seconds, sometimes closer to half a minute.
- Keep the reply. Take a screenshot and note the date. It's your baseline for every later check.
Run the check on a quiet day, not at a franchise counter with a queue behind you. Knowing your baseline makes every later conversation with an operator easier.
Getting the Format Right
This is where most failed attempts start, so it's worth slowing down. PTA's FAQ says to send the CNIC number without dashes, and that is really the whole rule.
| What you type | Works? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 3520212345671 | Yes | Thirteen digits with no separators, the format PTA describes |
| 35202-1234567-1 | No | Dashes. PTA specifically says to leave them out |
| 35202 1234567 1 | Risky | Spaces are separators too, so skip them |
| CNIC 3520212345671 | Risky | Extra words aren't part of the described format |
| 352021234567 | No | Only twelve digits, so it can't match a CNIC |
Where the table says "risky", the honest answer is that nobody outside PTA can promise how the system reads it. Stick to the thirteen digits alone and you never have to find out. If you're a foreign national, use the Foreign ID option on the portal instead; our cnic.sims.pk portal guide shows where it is.
Five Mistakes That Waste an SMS
Nearly every failed 668 attempt comes down to one of these.
- Using WhatsApp. The short code only works over plain SMS.
- Typing the CNIC with dashes. The card prints them, but PTA wants them gone.
- Sending it twice within a minute. The reply may just be slow, and every attempt can be billed.
- Deleting the reply. Without a baseline, you can't tell what changed later.
- Reading the total and stopping. The company-by-company lines are where the surprises hide.
What the Reply Tells You (and What It Doesn't)
PTA describes the reply as the number of SIMs issued against your CNIC, along with each mobile company's name. Think of it as a short tally: this many with Jazz, this many with Zong, and so on.
- It does show how many SIMs each company has on your CNIC. Add the lines up and you have your total.
- It doesn't promise the actual phone numbers, the owner's name, an address, or a split between voice and data SIMs.
Some third-party guides claim the reply includes phone numbers or activation dates. PTA's own description mentions only counts and company names. Treat anything extra as a bonus, and don't plan around it.
What It Costs
When 668 launched in 2009, the announced price was Rs. 2 per SMS including taxes. Guides published since then usually say Rs. 2 plus tax, and PTA's recent wording only says charges may apply, without printing a number. So plan on roughly Rs. 2, and don't be surprised if the deduction looks slightly different on your network.
Two practical habits help. Keep a little balance on the SIM you send from, and don't fire off repeat messages "just in case", because every attempt can be billed. If you'd rather spend nothing on SMS, the cnic.sims.pk portal uses only your internet data.
If No Reply Arrives
Silence is annoying but rarely mysterious. Work down this table before you assume the service is broken.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing after a few minutes | Low balance, weak signal, or the SMS never left | Check it shows as sent, top up slightly, move to better signal, resend once |
| An error-style reply | A format problem | Retype the thirteen digits alone: no dashes, spaces or words |
| Zero for a network you use | A typo, or a record under another identity | Recheck the digits, then ask that operator to confirm |
| A count higher than expected | Old, data, family or unauthorised SIMs | Follow the plan further down |
| Short-code replies never show up | An SMS filter, or a messaging app hiding short-code senders | Check spam and blocked folders, try another phone, or use the portal |
If you've tried twice and still get nothing, stop paying for SMS attempts and use the portal. It gives the same kind of count without the guesswork.
Reading Your Count
The reply is only useful if you compare it with reality. PTA's public FAQ puts the personal-use ceiling at eight SIMs per CNIC: five voice and three data. Treat those as two separate allowances rather than eight interchangeable slots. Since 668 doesn't necessarily split voice from data, ask the operator which is which if your total is close to the limit.
Then ask yourself three plain questions:
- Can I name a phone, router or dongle for every SIM the reply lists?
- Have I counted the forgotten ones? A data SIM sitting in an old router still takes up an allowance, and our number-check guide explains how to find a dongle or router SIM's number.
- Did anyone else ever register a SIM on my CNIC, such as a relative or an employer?
One current wrinkle: Telenor Pakistan merged into Ufone's operator, PTML, in July 2026. If a former Telenor line looks oddly listed, ask the operator how it's recorded rather than guessing.
A Quick Worked Example
Say Bilal texts 668 and gets back Jazz 2, Zong 1, Ufone 2. That's five SIMs. He can point to three: his daily Jazz SIM, a Zong SIM in his backup phone and an Ufone SIM he uses for data. So two are unexplained, and the company lines tell him exactly where to look.
After a little thinking, he remembers an old Jazz number from university, and an Ufone SIM that has been sitting in his father's Wi-Fi router for years. Mystery solved. He keeps the router SIM and hands in the university number. Had those explanations failed, the next move would have been a call to Jazz and Ufone with his screenshot in hand. Bilal is invented, but the reasoning is the one to copy.
668 vs the Portal vs 667
These get mixed up constantly, so here is the short version.
| Method | Best for | Needs | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMS to 668 | A quick count without a browser | Your CNIC and a little balance | Charges may apply. Counts only |
| cnic.sims.pk | Checking without spending SMS balance | Internet and a browser | Type the address yourself |
| 667 | Looking up the one SIM in your hand | That SIM | A different service, with its own charges. It isn't a count of all your SIMs |
| Operator or franchise | Getting actual numbers, fixes and blocking | Your original CNIC in person | Slower, but the only route to detail on individual numbers |
My rule of thumb: 668 or the portal to find out, the operator to fix. Our portal guide covers the web version step by step, and our guide to checking SIM owner details by CNIC compares everything in one place. For 667 and your own number, see how to find your own number.
Found a SIM You Don't Recognise?
First, breathe. A surprise SIM is often an old number or a forgotten router. Still, treat it seriously until you know.
- Save the evidence. Screenshot the reply and note the date.
- Find the company. The reply tells you which one holds the extra SIM.
- Rule out the boring explanations. Old numbers, data SIMs, and SIMs bought for family are the usual suspects.
- Contact the company. Use the helpline on its official site: Jazz, Zong, Ufone or Onic. Former Telenor customers should use Ufone's support channels. Our Zong SIM owner details guide shows what a network-specific check looks like.
- Visit a franchise with your original CNIC. Staff can confirm which numbers are registered and help you block the ones you don't recognise.
- Understand what happens next. PTA's 2023 description says that a customer can ask the operator to remove extra SIMs, that the SIM's user is then contacted to register it in their own name, and that it is otherwise blocked after 15 days. Timelines may have changed since, so confirm with the operator.
- Escalate if needed. If the operator stalls, or it's a SIM you never activated, report it to PTA on 0800-55055 or through its online complaint portal, as PTA's press releases ask citizens to do.
- Check again. Text 668 once the operator confirms changes, and compare it with your first screenshot.
For more on reading the totals, see our CNIC SIM check guide.
Why the 365-Day Rule Changes the Timing
In May 2026, PTA lengthened the disowning window from 60 days to 365, so a newly activated SIM can now only be disowned after a year. A senior PTA official later confirmed the change to Geo's fact-check team.
That changes how you should use 668. Run it before you activate anything new, and again right after, because a mistake is no longer quick to undo. And the rule is described in terms of newly activated SIMs, so it isn't a reason to sit on a SIM you never activated. Report that one as unauthorised.
Scams, Spoofs and Lookalike Services
Anything involving your CNIC attracts chancers. A few habits keep you safe.
- 668 works when you text it. As PTA describes it, you send the CNIC and it replies. A random message claiming to be PTA that asks you to click, pay or "verify" is not how the service works.
- Never share an OTP with someone claiming to be PTA or your operator.
- Stick to the SMS. Some guides tell you to dial *668#. PTA's own guidance describes sending an SMS, so that's what to do.
- Avoid "SIM data" websites. No legitimate public tool shows another person's SIMs, and using someone else's identity details can be an offence under PECA 2016. Our Pak Sim Data fact-check explains how they work.
- Give fingerprints only at authorised places. PTA advises getting new SIMs only from authorised franchises or customer service centres.
If a service asks for payment, an app install, an OTP or your fingerprints before showing a SIM count, walk away. The real thing is a text you send yourself.
Make It a Habit
PTA's advice is to check regularly, and a few well-chosen moments do most of the work:
- every few months, on a date you'll remember
- before you buy, port or replace a SIM, and again afterwards
- after you hand anyone a CNIC photocopy, where writing the purpose and date across the copy is a cheap extra safeguard
- for a parent's or spouse's CNIC, but only with their knowledge and consent
Keep every dated screenshot in one private folder. When a count changes, you'll spot it in seconds.
668 SMS Code: FAQs
What is the 668 SMS code?
How do I use 668?
Is 668 free?
Does 668 show my actual phone numbers?
Why didn't I get a reply from 668?
Can I use 668 from any network?
Should I use 668 or cnic.sims.pk?
Can I check someone else's CNIC on 668?
What's the difference between 668 and 667?
How often should I check?
Send the Text. Know Where You Stand.
Two minutes now can save you a very awkward conversation at a franchise counter later.
Related guides: SIM Owner Details (main guide) · CNIC SIM Check · cnic.sims.pk Portal Guide · Check SIM Owner Details by CNIC · SIM Owner Details Online Check · Number Details Check · Check Zong SIM Owner Details.
Note: PTA rules, fees and short-code charges can change. Confirm current details on pta.gov.pk or with your operator. This site is independent and is not a PTA service.