Pakistan has approved, in principle, a complete transition to an electronic passport system, phasing out machine-readable passports as part of a sweeping package of reforms aimed at modernising travel documentation, strengthening security, and improving service delivery for citizens. The decision was taken during a special meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at the Passport and Immigration Headquarters in Islamabad, with Naqvi stating that the complete transition to e-passports would offer advanced security, global compatibility, and a seamless airport experience, while ending fraud and forgery related to passports. Director General of Passports and Immigration Muhammad Ali Randhawa briefed the minister on the reforms, with the meeting approving the shift in principle, though no cutoff date has yet been set for phasing out existing passports.
An e-passport is a highly secure travel document with an electronic chip embedded in one of its pages, with the contactless NFC chip securely storing biometric data, facial details, biographical information, a unique identification number, and a digital signature. The chip allows border control systems and smart devices to read data wirelessly. Pakistan’s e-passports will be compliant with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, meaning Pakistani e-passport holders will be able to use e-gate facilities at airports worldwide, significantly reducing immigration queue times for travellers. The ICAO compliance is a meaningful upgrade in practical terms, as it places Pakistani passport holders on equal technical footing with citizens of countries whose biometric passports are already widely recognised at automated border control gates internationally.
The meeting also decided that all passport offices nationwide will move to a fully cashless payment system from July 1, ending manual cash handling at banks that has long been a source of inefficiency and opportunity for corruption within the application process. Randhawa informed the meeting that initial work on home delivery of passports for citizens both within Pakistan and abroad has been completed, with Naqvi confirming that the process of providing passports at citizens’ doorsteps will begin soon. The Pak ID platform will be made available to online passport applicants to streamline submissions and reduce processing time, consolidating the application journey within the same digital identity infrastructure that NADRA has been expanding across multiple government services.
The meeting also reviewed progress on the proposed Business Passport policy aimed at facilitating legitimate business travel, and approved a revised fee structure for premium passport services, under which applicants will pay charges based on the actual cost of service provision. Officials remain confident that the full transition will be completed in phases, with the pace dependent on infrastructure readiness and global system integration, but once fully implemented, Pakistan’s passport system will operate entirely on digital and biometric technology. Taken together with the previously announced doorstep delivery service, AI chatbot for applicant queries, and digital complaint system, the e-passport transition represents the most comprehensive overhaul of Pakistan’s passport infrastructure to date, moving the entire system, from application submission to document issuance to border verification, onto a digital and biometric foundation.
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