How much does a Pakistani e-Passport cost?
By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 14 Jan 2023
The federal government on Saturday announced the fee schedule for the issuance of e-Passports which the public will be able to access soon.
The fee schedule announced applies to the diplomatic, official, and ordinary passport categories.
It is expected that the government will start issuing e-Passports to ordinary citizens once their current passports expire.
What are e-passports
According to the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports of the Federal Interior Ministry, the e-Passports were inaugurated by former prime minister Imran Khan in March 2022.
It contains around 29 new security features to the passport.
The e-Passport is a travel document that contains an electronic chip embedded in one of the passport pages.
The chip contains data that will verify the passport holder’s identity and will include the biometrics of the passport holder, the personal data found on the data page of the passport, a unique identification number and a digital signature.
An e-passport has a contactless (NFC) chip on it which means that those passports can be read electronically. The newly launched e-Passports in Pakistan are in compliance with the United Nations’ ICAO standards.
Features
- Chip based data storage with laser engraving
- Multiple security feature including IR & UV
- e-Gate facility for immigration
- ICAO compliant standards
- Real time match of personalized data at airports
Benefits
E-Passports are being used in more than 150 countries across the world.
Several countries have switched to e-Passport due to the increasing need for efficient and better border security.
Pakistan e-Passport holders can benefit from the e-gate facility at all airports around the world. It will also help eliminate all the hurdles in the ongoing manual system and will aid Pakistani applicants to process online applications conveniently.
Process to obtain e-Passports
The application process for the Pakistan e-Passport will be similar to acquiring a traditional passport.
The documents required for an e-Passport will be similar to that of a Machine Readable Passport (MRP).
Applicants will receive the e-Passports after the manufacturing process is complete.
Fee schedule
According to the announcement, the charge for a five-year e-passport with 36 pages is Rs 9,000 under normal fees.
For urgent requests, the fee is Rs15,000.
For a 10-year passport with 36 pages, the normal fee will be Rs13,500 and the urgent fee will be Rs22,500.
In addition, the normal fee for a five-year e-passport with 72 pages is fixed at Rs16,500 and for an urgent fee is Rs27,500.
The normal fee for a 72-page 10-year e-passport is Rs24,750, and the urgent fee will be Rs40,500.
The issuance of e-passports will initially be starting from Islamabad, with the date of issuance from other passport offices across the country to be announced later.
Fees can also be paid through National Bank, online banking apps, JazzCash, and EasyPaisa.
