Overview
- Pakistan’s missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai had announced they would process only e‑passport applications starting July 20, but the Embassy has deferred the start until further notice.
- The Embassy said the delay stems from technical and administrative issues and that a revised launch date will be announced publicly when resolved.
- Officials confirmed existing machine‑readable passports remain valid until their printed expiry dates and holders need not replace them immediately.
- The missions published a new fee schedule for five‑ and ten‑year e‑passports and maintained that the online application service will continue to operate to help applicants.
- The shift to e‑passports is part of Pakistan’s broader move to meet ICAO biometric standards, a change aimed at strengthening document security and speeding immigration checks for the large Pakistani community in the UAE.