Old Sri Lanka NIC Format (9 Digits) — Complete Guide
Last updated:
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.
පැරණි (ඉලක්කම් 9) සහ නව (ඉලක්කම් 12) අංක දෙකම භාවිතා කළ හැක
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.