Pakistan to fully shift to e-passports

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to phase out machine-readable passports and switch fully to e-passports, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Friday, saying the move will offer advanced security, global compatibility and a seamless airport experience.

Chairing a special meeting at the Passport and Immigration Headquarters, Naqvi said the complete transition would eliminate fraud and forgery.

“The complete transition to e-passports will end fraud and forgery related to passports,” he said.

Director General Passports and Immigration Muhammad Ali Randhawa briefed the minister on the reforms. The meeting approved in principle to shift to e-passports, though no cutoff date for phasing out old passports was set.

An e-Passport is a highly secure travel document with an electronic chip embedded in one of its pages. The contactless NFC chip securely stores biometric data, facial details, biographical information, a unique identification number and a digital signature. The chip allows border control and smart devices to read data wirelessly.

Pakistan’s e-passports are compliant with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s standards. Pakistani e-passport holders will be able to use e-gate facilities at airports worldwide, reducing immigration queues.

The meeting held on Friday also decided that all passport offices will move to a cashless payment system from July 1, ending manual cash handling at banks.

Randhawa informed the meeting that initial work on the home delivery of passports for citizens in Pakistan and abroad had been completed.

“The process of providing passports at citizens’ doorsteps will start soon,” Naqvi said.

The Pak ID platform will be available to online passport applicants to streamline submissions and cut processing time.

Naqvi directed that the policy for business passports be finalised at the earliest in consultation with the Federal Board of Revenue. ...