Pakistan passport new rules- 2026 update

Islamabad: The government of Pakistan on Thursday approved major reforms to improve the passport issuance system, following a high-level meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of State Talal Chaudhry.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced that the delivery time for normal passports has been reduced from 21 days to 14 days as part of efforts to modernize and streamline services.

He also said a fully cashless system will be introduced across all passport offices, eliminating cash payments. A 15-day deadline has been set for the complete transition.

“Ending cash payments will help eliminate the agent mafia and provide greater ease to citizens,” the minister said.

The meeting also reviewed progress on the proposed “Business Passport” category, with directions to finalize its issuance mechanism at the earliest.

In addition, the government decided to further improve the home-delivery system to ensure smoother and more accessible doorstep delivery of passports.

Naqvi emphasized the need to establish a dedicated Passport Authority to strengthen the system and enhance public service delivery.

Officials briefing the meeting confirmed that the reduced 14-day delivery timeline for normal passports will be implemented nationwide.

The meeting was attended by the Interior Secretary, the Director General of Immigration and Passports, and other senior officials.

Earlier, the Passport Department reported significant progress in the digitalization of the national passport system,

According to a spokesperson for the Passport Department, the Director General (DG) of Immigration and Passports chaired a high-level meeting on Monday to oversee the digitalization process.

During the session, it was decided that the latest technology would be integrated to enhance passport facilities and improve the overall experience for citizens.

The spokesperson added that the DG issued directives to further accelerate the passport issuance process while ensuring maximum transparency.

These upgrades aim to eliminate delays and streamline the application workflow through modern digital solutions.