ISLAMABAD – The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports has extended the deadline for the mandatory issuance of electronic passports (e-passports), with the new system set to take effect across Pakistan on October 23, 2026.
Under the revised policy, all passport offices across the country and Pakistani diplomatic missions abroad will issue only e-passports to applicants seeking new passports from October 23.
The authorities have clarified that the issuance and renewal of existing machine-readable passports (MRPs) will continue until October 22, 2026.
The deadline for the transition to the new passport system was previously scheduled for an earlier date.
Officials have also reassured citizens that machine-readable passports issued before October 23 will remain valid until their expiry dates.
Holders of valid machine-readable passports will not be required to replace their documents before expiry, according to the announcement.
The transition to e-passports aims to modernise passport services and bring the security and efficiency of Pakistan’s travel documents in line with international standards.
The e-passport carries advance features while its fees are significantly higher than those previously charged for machine-readable passports.
The normal fee for a 36-page MRP valid for five years stood at Rs4,500 while it is Rs9,000 for e-passport.
Similarly, the fee for an urgent machine-readable passport was Rs7,500, but the fee for an e-passport will now be Rs15,000.
The fast-track fee for a machine-readable passport was Rs12,500, while the fee for an e-passport will now be Rs22,000.