Pakistan E-Passport Transition: Machine-Readable Passports to Be Phased Out Within a Month
Pakistan is preparing to close the book on the machine-readable passport era. The federal government has decided to discontinue the issuance of machine-readable passports (MRPs) within a month, shifting the country entirely to electronic passports — commonly known as e-passports. Interior Ministry officials confirmed the transition plan on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, marking one of the biggest modernisations of Pakistan’s travel-document system in two decades.
What the one-month transition means
Once the transition takes effect, passport offices across Pakistan and Pakistani missions abroad will issue only e-passports. New applications will no longer be processed as machine-readable passports. The Pakistan e-passport shift was formally announced to the National Assembly, where the interior ministry stated that the issuance of MRPs would be discontinued within a month and, thereafter, only e-passports would be issued by passport offices and Pakistan’s missions abroad.
Responding to a question by MNA Malik Shakir Bashir Awan during the National Assembly’s Question Hour, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the government was working to introduce the new system in roughly a month, in line with rapid technological changes in global immigration systems. He acknowledged, however, that the country’s large population and operational challenges at passport offices could affect the exact pace of the rollout.
What is an e-passport — and how is it different?
An e-passport looks much like a conventional passport booklet, but it carries a small embedded electronic chip — usually in the cover — that stores the holder’s biometric and personal information. At immigration counters, border authorities can read the chip to verify the traveller’s identity against the printed data on the passport, making the document far harder to forge, tamper with or misuse.
Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told the House that the electronic chip would strengthen identity checks and make forgery effectively impossible. The technology is now the global norm: most countries around the world have already adopted e-passports, and Pakistan’s Pakistan e-passport rollout is explicitly intended to bring the country in line with modern international travel and immigration requirements.
Why the government is making the switch
The decision was first taken in principle in June 2026, when Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired a meeting at the Passport and Immigration Headquarters in Islamabad and agreed that Pakistan should move its passport system fully to e-passports. Officials said the Pakistan e-passport transition would modernise travel documents, strengthen passport security and help prevent fraud and forgery.
Pakistan has been issuing machine-readable passports since 2004, and the shift ends a two-decade run for new applications of the older document. Some overseas missions had already moved ahead of the national timetable: Pakistan’s embassy in Abu Dhabi and its consulate in Dubai have been issuing only e-passports since July 2026.
What happens to your existing machine-readable passport?
If you already hold a machine-readable passport, you do not need to rush to replace it. The interior ministry has confirmed that MRPs already issued will remain valid until their respective dates of expiry. The Pakistan e-passport policy only changes what is issued from now on — your current booklet stays usable until the expiry date printed on it.
The change matters at renewal time: once an existing MRP expires, it will not be renewed as a machine-readable document, and the holder will be required to apply for a new e-passport instead. Travellers should also keep an eye on the entry rules of their destination countries, since many destinations require a passport to remain valid for several months beyond the trip.
What applicants should do now
Anyone planning to apply for a new passport should expect to be issued an e-passport under the new system. The interior ministry has not announced any separate fee structure change for the transition, but applicants — particularly those applying from abroad — should check with their nearest passport office or Pakistani mission for the latest instructions before visiting.
Officials say the Pakistan e-passport rollout is necessary because electronic passport technology has become standard in international travel systems, and the shift will bring Pakistan’s passport services in line with modern security standards and evolving global immigration practices.
A global club Pakistan is now joining
Electronic passports are now used by travellers from most major countries, and the embedded-chip standard is maintained under international civil aviation guidelines. For a country whose citizens travel in large numbers for work, study, business and pilgrimage, moving to e-passports promises smoother identity verification at borders and stronger protection against document fraud. With the transition officially underway, the Pakistan e-passport will soon become the only passport Pakistani authorities issue.
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