Pakistan Approves E-Passport Shift With Home Delivery Reform

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has approved a major overhaul of its passport issuance system, including a gradual nationwide move toward e-Passports, home delivery of travel documents and cashless payments at passport offices, in a reform package aimed at improving security and public convenience.

The decisions were taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at the Passport and Immigration Headquarters in Islamabad on Friday. Officials briefed the minister on the department’s ongoing digital transformation, future service model and measures designed to reduce fraud, delays and manual bottlenecks.

Under the approved plan, conventional passports will be replaced gradually with e-Passports, allowing the government to modernise travel documents without creating an abrupt transition for citizens. Authorities believe the shift will make Pakistani passports more secure, easier to verify and better aligned with international travel standards.

Naqvi said the move toward electronic passports would help curb document fraud and forgery, while also improving the overall credibility of Pakistan’s travel documentation system. The meeting also reviewed premium passport services, where applicants seeking faster or enhanced facilities may pay fees linked to the cost of those additional services.

A major citizen-facing reform is the planned launch of passport home delivery within Pakistan and abroad. Officials informed the meeting that preliminary work for the doorstep service had been completed, meaning applicants could soon receive their passports directly at their provided addresses instead of repeatedly visiting passport offices.

The government also approved a nationwide cashless payment mechanism for passport offices from July 1. The step is expected to reduce cash handling, improve transparency and limit the space for intermediaries who exploit applicants seeking faster processing or easier access to services.

Another key decision involves shifting online passport applications to the Pak-ID platform. The move is intended to streamline digital submissions and link passport services more closely with existing national identity systems, giving citizens a more unified online process for documentation-related services.

The reform package also includes work on a proposed Business Passport Policy, which the interior minister directed officials to finalise in consultation with the Federal Board of Revenue. The policy is expected to focus on facilitation for business applicants, particularly those whose travel needs are linked to trade, investment and economic activity.

Pakistan has already introduced e-Passports as part of broader efforts to digitise public service delivery. These passports contain an embedded electronic chip carrying biometric and personal information, along with a digital signature and other verification data used to confirm the traveller’s identity at immigration points.

The changes could have wide impact for millions of Pakistanis, including overseas citizens, frequent travellers, students, workers and businesspeople. If implemented effectively, the new system may reduce queues, improve service timelines, strengthen document security and help Pakistan move closer to modern global passport standards.