The passport system will become completely digital with the implementation of the electronic passport

Pakistan decided on Friday to transition its passport issuance system to a full e-passport framework as part of sweeping reforms aimed at modernizing immigration services and eliminating fraud, according to state media. pay television reported.

According pay televisionA high-level meeting on Passports and Immigration was held at the headquarters under the chairmanship of Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi, where key decisions regarding the digital overhaul of the system were approved.

A major decision was made to completely switch passport issuance to e-passports, with the aim of reducing fraud and forgery in the passport system. However, no deadline has been announced for the phasing out of existing passports.

The Director General of Passports and Immigration, Muhammad Ali Randhawa, briefed the minister on the ongoing reforms and plans. Officials said applicants for premium services will now be charged according to the actual cost of passport services.

According to the report, preparatory work for home delivery of passports within Pakistan and abroad has been completed and the service will be launched soon.

Starting July 1, a cashless payment system will be introduced in passport offices across the country and online passport applications will also move to the Pak-ID platform.

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The meeting also decided to finalize a policy for commercial passports in consultation with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

Officials said the reforms are part of broader efforts to make the passport system more efficient, transparent and citizen-friendly.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the electronic passport is a very secure travel document. It has an electronic chip embedded in one of the passport pages, which will be used to store biometric information about the holder.

The chip contains data that will verify the identity of the passport holder and will include the passport holder’s biometric data, personal data found on the passport data page, a unique identification number and a digital signature.

An e-passport has a contactless chip (NFC), which means that such passports can be read electronically. The newly launched e-passports in Pakistan meet the United Nations ICAO standards.