Old Sri Lanka NIC Format (9 Digits) — Complete Guide
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The old Sri Lankan National Identity Card (NIC) features a 9-digit number followed by a letter (V or X). Learn how this YYDDDNNNNC format encodes your birth year, gender, and voter status, and quickly decode any old NIC number here.
Supports both old (9-digit) and new (12-digit) NIC formats
How to Read an Old 9-Digit NIC Number
The 9-digit NIC number is structured as YYDDDNNNN C, where each part has a specific meaning:
- YY: The last two digits of your birth year (e.g., 85 = 1985).
- DDD: The number of days from January 1st to your birthday, which also encodes your gender.
- NNNN: A 4-digit serial number assigned by the department.
- C: A letter indicating your voting eligibility (V or X).
What Does V and X Mean in Sri Lanka NIC?
The letter at the end of the old NIC format indicates the person's voting eligibility at the time the card was issued. A 'V' (Voter) means the individual was eligible to vote, while an 'X' (Non-Voter) indicates they were not eligible to vote (often issued to non-citizens or those below the voting age at the time).
Old NIC Format Structure
| Position | Digits | Meaning | Example (853400012V) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | YY | Birth Year | 85 (1985) |
| 3-5 | DDD | Day of Year & Gender | 340 (Male, Dec 5) |
| 6-9 | NNNN | Serial Number | 0012 |
| 10 | C | Voter Status | V (Voter) |
How Gender is Encoded
The day-of-year digits (DDD) also tell you the gender of the cardholder:
- Male: Values from 1 to 366. This directly corresponds to the day of the year they were born.
- Female: Values from 501 to 866. To find a female's birthday, subtract 500 from this number. The result is the day of the year they were born.
How to Convert Old NIC to New NIC Format
Converting an old 9-digit NIC to the new 12-digit format is straightforward. Here are the steps:
- Take the old NIC number and remove the final letter (V or X). Example:
853400012 - Add "19" to the very beginning to complete the birth year. Example:
19853400012 - Insert a "0" between the day-of-year part (DDD) and the serial number. Example:
198534000012
The resulting 12 digits represent the new NIC format. Note that newly issued 12-digit NICs after 2016 use a different serial numbering system, so this conversion is primarily for understanding backward compatibility.