Passport system to go fully digital with e-passport rollout

The government on Friday decided to transition its passport issuance system to a complete e-passport framework as part of sweeping reforms aimed at modernising immigration services and eliminating fraud.

According to the Interior Ministry, a high-level meeting on Passport and Immigration was held at the headquarters under the chairmanship of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, where key decisions regarding the digital overhaul of the system were approved.

A principal decision was taken to fully shift passport issuance to e-passports, with the move aimed at reducing fraud and forgery in the passport system. However, no deadline has been announced for the phase-out of existing passports.

The Director General of Passports and Immigration, Muhammad Ali Randhawa, briefed the minister on ongoing reforms and plans. Officials said premium service applicants will now be charged according to the actual cost of passport services.

According to the briefing, preparatory work for home delivery of passports within Pakistan and abroad had been completed, and the service will be launched soon.

From July 1, a cashless payment system will be introduced at passport offices across the country, and online passport applications will also be shifted to the Pak-ID platform.

The meeting also decided to finalise a policy for business passports in consultation with the Federal Board of Revenue.

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The ministry said the reforms are part of broader efforts to make the passport system more efficient, transparent, and citizen-friendly.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the e-Passport is a highly secure travel document. It has an electronic chip embedded in one of the passport pages, which will be used to store biometric information about the holder.

The chip contains data that will verify the passport holder’s identity and will include the biometrics of the passport holder, the personal data found on the data page of the passport, a unique identification number, and a digital signature.

An e-passport has a contactless chip on it which means that those passports can be read electronically. The newly launched e-Passports in Pakistan are in compliance with the United Nations’ ICAO standards.