Mustafa Jamal Qazi, the Director-General of Passports in Pakistan, has declared a significant development concerning the implementation of e-passports in the country. During his recent visit to the Karachi Passport Office, Qazi emphasized that starting from 2027, the issuance of e-passports will become obligatory.
Qazi further disclosed that the necessary preparations for transitioning from the existing machine-readable passport system to e-passports are nearing completion. Additionally, he announced the imminent installation of a new passport system within the next six to seven months as part of this transition. According to Qazi, 6.5 million passports have already been issued to Pakistani nationals intending to travel abroad in the current year.
Addressing concerns about the alleged issuance of thousands of Pakistani passports to Afghan nationals, Qazi assured that a high-level task force has been established to thoroughly investigate the matter.
Furthermore, he affirmed that delays in passport issuance would be minimized, attributing the improvement to the government’s procurement of an ample supply of the necessary lamination paper for printing new passports.
Pakistan e-Passport application process
Acquiring a Pakistan e-Passport will involve a process similar to obtaining a traditional passport. Initially, the e-passport service will be exclusive to diplomatic and government officials of Pakistan. Once the manufacturing process is finalized, applicants will be issued their e-Passports. The documentation needed for an e-Passport will closely resemble that required for a Machine Readable (MRP).