Islamabad August 17 2023: e-Passport issuance facility is available from all field offices of Directorate General of Immigration & Passports across the country from August 16, 2023.
Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (DGI&P) started this facility for Residents of Islamabad on 10 June 2023. Earlier DGI&P started issuance of e-Passports in 2022, initially for the Diplomatic and Official Categories as a soft launch.
The processing fee for a 36-page e-passport is set at PKR 9,000 for Normal delivery and PKR 15,000 for Urgent delivery, both with a validity of 5 years. If you opt for a 72-page e-passport, the fees are slightly higher, with a normal delivery fee of PKR 16,500 and an urgent delivery fee of PKR 27,000.
Should you wish to secure a 10-year validity, the DGI&P offers options for a 36-page e-passport: PKR 13,500 for Normal processing and PKR 22,500 for Urgent processing. Similarly, for the extended validity 72-page e-passport, the directorate imposes charges of PKR 24,750 for Normal processing and PKR 40,500 for Urgent processing.
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 (NFC) 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.
E-Passports are already in use in more than 150 countries worldwide. Several countries have switched to the e-Passport due to the increasing need for efficient and better border security.
Pakistan e-Passport holders can benefit from the e-gate facility at all airports around the world. It will also help eliminate all the hurdles in the ongoing manual system and will aid Pakistani applicants to process online applications conveniently. Since the e-Passport carries out various forms of security checks, extending benefits to overseas Pakistanis will ultimately benefit the country.
Application process for e-passport
The application process for the Pakistan e-Passport will be similar to acquiring a traditional passport. Initially, the e-passport facility will only be available for diplomatic and government officials of Pakistan. Applicants will receive the e-Passports after the manufacturing process is complete. The documents required for an e-Passport will be similar to that of a Machine Readable Passport (MRP).
