ISLAMABAD: The government has started issuing e-passports across Pakistan – a facility that allows citizens to have the travel document prepared from the comfort of their homes.
The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports has introduced the fee structure for these e-passports. According to this schedule, a 36-page e-passport, valid for a period of five years, will be subject to a fee of Rs 9,000. Similarly, for an urgent e-passport, the fee will amount to Rs15,000.
For a 72-page e-passport, the standard fee is set at Rs16,500, while an urgent issuance will incur a fee of Rs27,000. The regular fee for a 36-page e-passport, valid for ten years, stands at Rs13,500. If a citizen require this ten-year e-passport on an urgent basis, the fee will be Rs22,500.
In the case of a 72-page e-passport with a ten-year validity, the standard fee is Rs 24,750. Opting for an expedited 72-page e-passport with the same ten-year validity will result in a fee of Rs40,500. The schedule stipulates that the fees for normal passports remain unaffected. These new fees have been in effect since Thursday.
This development comes as a relief to many, as the timely delivery of standard passports across the country has been delayed by over a month due to an unprecedented surge in demand for travel documents.
According to sources, the citizens in major cities of the country, including Karachi, are currently experiencing extended waiting periods to receive their passports. The regular delivery timeline for standard passports has stretched beyond a month, as opposed to the usual 10 days.
Similarly, an urgent passport delivery now takes 15 days instead of the previous five days. Also, the fast-track passport delivery, which typically took two days, now extends to five days.
This significant delay is causing hardships for individuals intending to embark on Umrah pilgrimages, as well as those who are travelling abroad for work and educational pursuits.
The number of passport applications on a daily basis has increased to 40,000 instead of its normal range of between 24,000 and 26,000.
To remove the delay in passport delivery, the printing period has been increased to round the clock without any day off for the staff.
