Overview
- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi formalised the reforms at a high-level meeting on Friday, June 19, approving a complete transition to electronic e-passports to reduce forgery and fraud.
- All domestic passport offices will stop taking cash from July 1 as the system moves to cashless payments to speed transactions and reduce manual handling of fees.
- Online passport applications will be migrated to the Pak-ID platform to centralise identity checks and simplify the application process for citizens.
- Authorities say preparations for a home-delivery service for passports, both inside Pakistan and at overseas missions, are complete and the service will be launched soon; applicants choosing premium processing will pay fees tied to actual issuance costs.
- The passport overhaul will be monitored through SHIKRA, a 24/7 surveillance system launched in January to track applications from submission through printing and delivery, and officials will finalise business-passport rules with the Federal Board of Revenue next.