LAHORE – Citizens of Pakistan can now avail the facility of having e-passports for streamlining their travel.
The Directorate General of Immigration and Passport has confirmed the availability of the facility across the entire Pakistan though the service has taken years to be executed.
As part of the e-passport facility, smart gates are likely to be installed at major international airports like Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi and flyers with e-passports will benefit from swift immigration by passing through these smart gates.
As far as the pricing is concerned, a 36-page e-passport for a duration of five years will be available at a standard fee of Rs 9,000, while an urgent issuance will cost Rs 15,000.
Moreover, a ten-year valid e-passport will cost Rs13,500 under normal circumstances and Rs 22,500 for urgent processing.
As far as a 72-page e-passport is concerned, the cost is Rs 15,000 for a five-year period and Rs 27,000 for urgent issuance.
A ten-year 72-page e-passport will cost Rs 24,750 in routine processing and Rs 40,500 for urgent processing.
The facility has been provided to all passport offices nationwide, ensuring accessibility for citizens from each and every part of the country.
The e-passport entails enhanced security features and improved database accessibility, having an electronic chip embedded in one of the passport pages, which will be used to store biometric information about the holder.
The chip contains data that will verify the passport holder’s identity and will include the biometrics of the passport holder, the personal data found on the data page of the passport, a unique identification number and a digital signature.
Moreover, as per the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports, sn e-passport has a contactless (NFC) chip on it which means that those passports can be read electronically.
The newly launched e-Passports in Pakistan are in compliance with the United Nations’ ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards, said the department on its official website.
