The short version: ISBNs in Pakistan come from the National Library of Pakistan in Islamabad. You register as a publisher once, send a signed and stamped form for each edition of each book, and print the number on the book. After publication, you deliver copies to the National Library. This guide covers each step, with the official forms and the law behind it. It also explains what PaperCraft does if you'd rather not handle the paperwork yourself.
What an ISBN is (and what it isn't)
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a 13-digit product number for a book. It identifies the publisher, the title, and the specific edition and format. Shops, libraries and online retailers use it to order, list and track books. It doesn't give you any legal or copyright protection. (International ISBN Agency)
Each format needs its own ISBN. If you publish a paperback, a hardcover and a PDF e-book, that's three ISBNs. (International ISBN Agency) The National Library's forms say the same: use a separate form for each edition of every book, and state the format. (NLP Form No. 2)
Who issues ISBNs in Pakistan
The ISBN system came to Pakistan in 1984, when the National Library of Pakistan in Islamabad was designated the national ISBN agency. It started operating on 16 May 1985. Since then it has issued more than 121,000 ISBNs and registered about 5,000 publishers. (National Library of Pakistan, ISBN Agency) Pakistani ISBNs start with 978-969 or 978-627, the two prefixes printed on the National Library's forms. (NLP Form No. 1)
The ISBN goes to the book's publisher. If you're self-publishing, that can be you. (International ISBN Agency)
How to apply, step by step
All the forms are on the National Library's downloads page, in English and Urdu.
- Register as a publisher (once). Fill in the ISBN Registration Form: Questionnaire for Assigning Publisher Prefix. It asks for the publisher's name and firm, full address, email and phone number (both compulsory), the year you started publishing, how many titles you've published, and how many you expect this year and over the next five years. (NLP ISBN Registration Form)
- Apply for the book's ISBN. Use Form No. 2 for a book that's being printed or will be printed, or Form No. 1 for a book that's already been published. Form No. 2 asks for the full title, author(s), any translator, compiler or editor, the edition and year, size and pages, estimated price, format (bound, paperback or PDF e-book), language, the number of copies to be printed and the subject. (Form No. 2, Form No. 1)
- Sign, stamp and send the original. The forms say an ISBN "will not be allotted on incomplete information", and the "duly filled, signed, and stamped original hard copy" must be sent to the ISBN Agency. (Form No. 2) The address is National Library of Pakistan, Constitution Avenue, G-5, Islamabad, and the phone number is 051-9207456. The agency lists ad.isbn@nlp.gov.pk as its email. (NLP ISBN Agency)
- Print the ISBN in the book. Put it on the copyright page, and with a barcode on the back cover.
- Send legal-deposit copies after publication. See below.
Fee: the National Library pages and forms we reviewed don't mention any fee.
How PaperCraft handles it
If you publish with us, we file the ISBN and barcode paperwork with the government for you. It costs Rs 5,000 per book, for a digital or print edition, with a standard turnaround of about seven days. The book is registered under PaperCraft's own publisher number (publisher prefix). If you need it sooner, the 48-hour turnaround is Rs 10,000 per ISBN. It's one of the six stages on our packages page, and you can take it on its own or with editing, design and printing.
Legal deposit: copies you must send after publishing
Once the book is out, Pakistani law asks for copies to go to public collections. Two laws apply.
1. Copyright Ordinance, 1962, section 47 (the publisher's duty). The publisher of every book published in Pakistan must, at its own expense, deliver one copy to each public library within 30 days of publication. "Public libraries" means the National Library of Pakistan in Islamabad, plus any other library the federal government notifies in the Gazette. The National Library's copy has to be the complete book, bound, on the best paper used for any copy. The library gives you a written receipt (section 49). An unchanged reprint of an edition already delivered doesn't need to be sent again. Breaking these rules can bring a fine of up to Rs 500, plus a fine equal to the value of the book (section 50). (Copyright Ordinance, 1962, IPO-Pakistan copy)
The National Library's own ISBN forms put the number at two copies: "Following the publication of the book, it is a legal requirement to dispatch two copies of the publication to the National Library of Pakistan in accordance with copyright law." (NLP Form No. 2) Sending two copies to the National Library meets both the form and the Ordinance.
2. Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance, 2002, section 21 (the printer's duty). The printer of every book printed in Pakistan must deliver one copy, free, to the provincial Information Department (or wherever the government directs) within one calendar month of publication. The government can ask for up to four more copies. (PNNBR Ordinance 2002, Press Information Department)
Copyright registration is optional
You don't need to register copyright to own it. Under IPO-Pakistan's guidance, copyright exists from the moment the work is created, and registration isn't compulsory, though it has advantages if you ever need to prove ownership. (IPO-Pakistan copyright FAQs) If you do register a book (a literary work), IPO-Pakistan asks for:
- three copies of Form-II
- the fee by demand draft or pay order to the Director General, IPO-Pakistan: Rs 2,000 for a literary work other than software
- two copies of the work
- an affidavit of original creation
- a no-objection certificate or assignment, if someone else wrote the work
(IPO-Pakistan registration procedure; fee set by the 2019 fee notification)
IPO-Pakistan says the whole process, from filing to registration, takes about eleven months on average. (IPO-Pakistan average process time)
Frequently asked questions
Who issues ISBNs in Pakistan?
The National Library of Pakistan in Islamabad. It has been the national ISBN agency since 1984 and started issuing numbers in 1985.
How much does an ISBN cost in Pakistan?
The National Library's forms and ISBN page don't list a fee. If PaperCraft handles the registration and barcode for you, it's Rs 5,000 per book with a seven-day standard turnaround, or Rs 10,000 per ISBN for 48 hours.
Do I need a separate ISBN for the e-book?
Yes. Each format, such as paperback, hardcover or PDF e-book, needs its own ISBN, and the National Library asks for a separate form for each edition.
Which form do I use?
First, the ISBN Registration Form, once, to get a publisher prefix. Then Form No. 2 for a book that's being printed or will be printed, or Form No. 1 for a book that's already been published. The signed and stamped original must reach the ISBN Agency in Islamabad.
Do I have to send copies to the National Library?
Yes. The Copyright Ordinance, 1962 requires the publisher to deliver a copy to each public library within 30 days of publication, and the National Library's forms ask for two copies. Separately, the printer must give one copy to the provincial Information Department within a month.
Is an ISBN the same as copyright?
No. An ISBN is only a product identifier. Copyright exists automatically once you write the work, and registering it with IPO-Pakistan is optional (Rs 2,000 for a literary work).
For the whole journey from manuscript to printed book, read How to Publish a Book in Pakistan, or see every price on our packages page.