Lost, Stolen or Damaged Prize Bond — What You Can and Cannot Do

This is the part of prize bonds that people only read about after something has gone wrong. The short version: what you can do depends entirely on whether the bond was bearer or registered.

If a bearer bond (Rs. 100–1,500) is lost or stolen

A bearer bond is legally payable to whoever presents it. There is no CNIC attached to the number, so National Savings has no record that it was ever yours. In practical terms:

• A duplicate is not issued for a lost bearer bond.
• If someone else finds it and it wins, they can claim it.
• Reporting the loss does not block payment, because there is nothing tying the number to you.

There is still one thing worth doing: if you had recorded the number, keep watching the draw results. If that number wins and you have strong independent proof of purchase — a dated purchase receipt from the counter showing the exact bond numbers — you can raise the matter with the issuing office. Success is not guaranteed and depends entirely on the strength of that documentation, which is precisely why the receipt matters.

If a registered premium bond (Rs. 25,000 / 40,000) is lost or stolen

Here the situation is much better. The bond number is recorded against your CNIC, so a finder cannot claim it. The usual route is:

1. Report the loss in writing to the National Savings Centre or bank branch where the bond is registered, as soon as you notice.
2. For theft, lodge a police report and attach a copy — offices normally ask for it.
3. Submit the prescribed application for a duplicate along with your CNIC and the purchase record.
4. The office verifies the registration and issues a duplicate or records the replacement.

The exact forms and any indemnity requirement are set by the issuing office, so ask them for the current list rather than relying on second-hand advice.

If the bond is damaged, torn or faded

A physically damaged bearer bond is not automatically worthless. What decides the outcome is whether the essential features are still readable:

• The complete bond number and series
• The denomination
• The issue date stamp
• Enough of the security features for the counter to authenticate it

If those survive, take the bond to a National Savings Centre and ask them to examine it. Do not try to repair it yourself: no tape, no glue, no lamination, and never trim the edges. Anything you add makes authentication harder and can turn a payable bond into a rejected one. Put it in a clear plastic sleeve and carry it flat.

If the bond went through the wash or got wet

Let it dry naturally between two sheets of clean paper under a light weight. Do not iron it, do not use a hairdryer, and do not separate stuck bonds by pulling — take them in as they are and let the counter staff handle separation.

The prevention that actually works

1. Photograph every bond the day you buy it, front and back, so the number and issue date are legible.
2. Keep the purchase receipt separately from the bonds themselves.
3. Record the numbers somewhere online — a wallet account on this site checks them against every new draw automatically, so even a lost bond's number keeps being watched.
4. Store bonds flat, away from heat and damp. A bearer bond is cash: treat it like cash.