ISLAMABAD — The federal government on Friday approved a foundational shift in its travel documentation infrastructure, greenlighting a policy to phase out legacy machine-readable passports in favor of advanced biometric e-passports.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi finalized the decision during an extensive reform briefing at the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGI&P) Headquarters, prioritizing the eradication of document forgery and the standardization of border clearances.
Pakistan approves full transition to e-passports https://t.co/WFoQVLd9mh
— Pakistan Today (@ePakistanToday) June 19, 2026
Critical Systemic Upgrades
- The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports will shift entirely to digital e-passports.
- Embedded near-field microchips will securely store facial recognition data and identity details.
- The upgrade introduces full compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards.
- Manual cash fee collections at banking desks will be terminated starting July 1.
- A doorstep delivery network is being launched for domestic and overseas applicants.
Integrating Contactless Chips and Automated Airport Clearance
The technological shift replaces traditional booklets with booklets containing an embedded contactless NFC (Near Field Communication) chip. This hardware module holds verified biometric footprints, biographical details, and custom cryptographic signatures designed to systematically neutralize identity fraud and document tampering.
DGI&P Digital Transition Timeline (Summer 2026)
• June 19: In-principle executive approval for full e-passport migration.
• July 1 onward: Mandatory cashless fee collection across all branch offices.
• Rollout Target: Migration of online applications to the unified Pak ID platform.
• Courier Phasing: Activation of international and domestic home delivery lines.
By transitioning to ICAO-compliant documents, Pakistani citizens will gain access to self-service e-gates at automated international airports, lowering processing times and reducing conventional manual check-in lines.
Administrative Digitization and Cashless Mandates
To ensure transparency, Minister Naqvi directed that all associated passport service desks fully transition to a digital, cashless payment architecture by July 1, terminating legacy manual cash processing. Online processing is being integrated directly into the centralized Pak ID framework to compress application wait times.
While the administrative shift moves forward, the ministry emphasized that existing machine-readable passports will remain legally valid until their designated expiration dates, allowing a frictionless, multi-year phase-out across the general public.
