What happened
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Friday that the government had decided to phase out machine-readable passports and move fully to e-passports, saying the shift would strengthen security and align Pakistan with international standards.
Chairing a special meeting at the Passport and Immigration Headquarters in Islamabad, Naqvi said the complete transition would “end fraud and forgery related to passports”. The meeting approved the change in principle, though no cutoff date for phasing out existing machine-readable passports was set.
Director General Passports and Immigration Muhammad Ali Randhawa briefed the minister on the proposed reforms. Pakistan’s e-passports comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, and holders can use e-gate facilities at airports worldwide, reducing immigration queues. An e-passport carries a contactless chip that stores biometric and biographical data and a digital signature.
What else was approved
The meeting also decided that all passport offices will move to a cashless payment system from 1 July, ending manual cash handling at banks. Officials said applicants choosing premium services would be charged fees reflecting the actual cost of the service.
Online passport applications are to be moved to the Pak ID platform to streamline submissions and cut processing time. Randhawa told the meeting that initial work on home delivery of passports, for citizens in Pakistan and abroad, had been completed, and Naqvi said doorstep delivery would start soon. The minister also directed that a “Business Passport Policy” be finalised in consultation with the Federal Board of Revenue.
Why it matters
Pakistan already issues e-passports, but machine-readable passports remain in circulation. A full transition would tighten document security and reduce reliance on manual processing. The reforms come as the Interior Ministry pushes to digitise passport and immigration services and to shift public payments away from cash. The absence of a cutoff date means the timetable for retiring the older passports remains open.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited sources, which were reviewed on 2026-06-19.
- Associated Press of Pakistan — "Pakistan to Transition Fully to E-Passports as Major Reforms Unveiled"19 June 2026 · The in-principle decision, the meeting chaired by Mohsin Naqvi and the migration of online applications to the Pak ID platform.
- Dawn — "Pakistan to fully shift to e-passports"19 June 2026 · Naqvi's remarks, the ICAO compliance and e-gate benefits, the cashless payment decision and home delivery plans.
- SAMAA TV — "Govt approves full e-passport system in major immigration reforms"19 June 2026 · Confirmation that the shift will take place in phases to cut forgery and identity fraud.
