Passport pendency might be over soon for Pakistani applicants

ISLAMABAD – The federal government has acknowledged the worries faced by Pakistani passport applicants, addressing the concerns experienced regarding the pendency of the travel document.

To clear the backlog, international and national tenders have been issued for securing printing machines, e-passport supplies, and lamination papers. These preemptive steps emphasize the government’s dedication to enhancing passport issuance performance and reaching the expected demand.

Sources reveal that over 800,000 passports are presently awaiting printing; however, with the procuring of new machinery and lamination paper the backlog is expected to be cleared rapidly. The Passport and Immigration authorities are presently printing 20,000 to 25,000 passports daily however, they are receiving 40,000 to 45,000 applications on daily basis.

Furthermore, the Directorate of Immigration and Passports has frequently promised to resolve the backlog of pending passports, guaranteeing that citizens will receive their travel documents soon.

There have been multiple changes to the passport issuance process including a massive hike in fees in March this year. The new fees for passports for both normal and urgent categories are below.

The normal category fee for a 36-page passport with five-year validity was increased to Rs4,500 from Rs3,000. The urgent fee was jacked up to Rs7,500 from Rs5,000. The fee for an ordinary passport with 10-year validity was increased to Rs6,700 from Rs4,500 while the urgent fee has been jacked up to Rs11,200 from Rs7,500.

Additionally, the normal fee for a 72-page ordinary passport with five-year validity was surged to Rs8,200 while the new urgent fee has been increased to Rs13,500. The normal fee for a 100-page passport has been increased to Rs12,400 and the urgent fee is Rs20,200.