VisaPakistan’s e-passport switch leaves existing passports valid until expiry
The government distinguishes stopping new machine-readable passport issuance from cancelling documents already issued. Travellers should check validity, identity records and the correct renewal process.
Official source date: 2026-10-16
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Existing passports do not become invalid simply because issuance changes
Pakistan’s transition to electronic passports does not cancel machine-readable passports already issued. Radio Pakistan’s report of the National Assembly proceedings on 16 October 2026 quotes the parliamentary affairs minister confirming that existing documents remain valid until their individual expiry dates. Existing holders were not given a universal immediate replacement deadline.
The minister described ending further machine-readable issuance, rather than retrospectively withdrawing the existing documents. Applicants should confirm the product currently issued by their passport office or overseas mission instead of treating a website update date as proof of every office’s implementation timetable. A traveller should still assess whether the remaining validity and available pages meet the actual journey’s requirements. Other document problems, such as loss, damage or a required identity correction, still need their appropriate procedure.
Electronic format does not remove identity checks
The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports’ e-Passport resource explains that the document contains a contactless chip storing identity and biometric information. Electronic verification supplements the printed identity page; it does not make inconsistencies in the application harmless. The resource’s application instructions require both first and last names, with limits of fifty characters for the first-name field and forty for the last-name field. The father, husband or guardian-name field also has a forty-character limit.
Use this official resource when preparing name fields and ask the office how an unusual or lengthy name should be recorded. Do not invent a surname or silently change an identity record to fit the screen. The page says the application process is similar to the traditional passport procedure and that production follows the completed application. An electronic chip is not evidence of a foreign visa or an entitlement to unrestricted automated-gate access. Confirm the destination’s entry permission and applicable airport rules separately from the passport format.
Choose the correct validity and fee before applying
The directorate’s General Requirements for Passport page lists five- and ten-year validity, but limits children under fifteen to five years. Adults need the original valid CNIC or NICOP and a copy, with their previous passport where issued. Dual nationals must bring and declare the foreign passport. Children have separate identification and parental-document requirements, including updated child registration evidence for the relevant age group.
The same page’s e-passport table lists PKR9,000 for a normal thirty-six-page, five-year document and PKR15,000 for urgent service. The ten-year versions are PKR13,500 and PKR22,500. Larger booklets have different charges. Use the actual e-passport table rather than a historic machine-readable-passport price. The page currently gives twenty-one working days for normal and five working days for urgent delivery after successful processing, excluding courier transport. These are published service indications, not guaranteed travel dates. Before requesting changed particulars, correct the underlying CNIC or NICOP as instructed; a passport application should not be used to bypass that identity-record step.
Check the printed data and finish the payment stage
The official Passport Application Process page explains the office sequence: customer-service checks, photograph and QR-coded token, fingerprints, data entry, record verification, interview and decision, payment, then collection. It tells applicants to inspect the token’s category, priority and identity number immediately. During data entry, review the visible information and printed form before signing. Later corrections can require cancellation and restarting, and the page says changes are not possible after the officer’s go-ahead.
The current sequence includes payment through the token’s QR code using a digital payment platform, with production following successful payment. Retain the token and receipt. Provide a working mobile number and email address for status messages, and check the actual readiness notification before collection. The process page also distinguishes production dispatch from the time needed to reach a regional office or overseas mission. Applicants abroad should therefore follow the mission’s collection instructions, not assume a domestic processing indication includes international shipment. Neither paying an urgent fee nor completing the interview guarantees that every verification is already resolved.
