Major update for Pakistanis seeking Spanish Resident Card

ISLAMABAD: A high-level meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Saalik Hussain reviewed progress on facilitating Pakistanis applying for the Spanish Resident Card.

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, Federal Interior Secretary, Secretary Overseas Pakistanis, DG FIA, Additional Secretary Foreign Affairs, MD OPF, and senior officials from NADRA and the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports attended the meeting.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Spain Dr. Zahoor Ahmed, Consul General in Barcelona Muhammad Ali Wazir, and the Community Welfare Attaché joined via Zoom.

It was decided that passports and other required documents for Pakistani applicants will be issued within one week, ahead of Spain’s upcoming regularization scheme for undocumented migrants.

Minister Saalik Hussain noted that nearly 15,000 Pakistanis are expected to benefit from the Spanish scheme and expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Interior for its strong support to the Pakistani community in Spain.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi emphasized that the swift issuance of passports to overseas Pakistanis is a top priority, while directing that no passport should be issued to any criminal or wanted individual. He also ordered the immediate deployment of additional staff to the passport section at the Pakistani embassy in Spain.

Naqvi further stated that the National Police Bureau has significantly streamlined and expedited the verification of police character certificates, which are now being issued on a priority basis.

Ambassador Dr. Zahoor Ahmed and the Consul General provided a detailed briefing, noting that all relevant institutions are working together to ensure timely provision of essential documents to Pakistani nationals. The briefing highlighted that the issuance of passports and character certificates has notably accelerated.

The embassy and consulate have so far issued 10,000 authority letters to applicants as part of the facilitation process.