Initially, the e-passports will be issued only from Islamabad, Pakistan. The date for the launching of the service from other cities of the country will be announced later.
The federal government on Saturday issued the fee schedule for the issuance of e-passports in Pakistan. As per details, the fee schedule was issued for diplomatic, official and ordinary categories.
Initially, the e-passports will be issued only from Islamabad, Pakistan. The date for the launching of the service from other cities of the country will be announced later. The normal fee for normal 36 pages e-passport with 5-year validity is Rs9000 and urgent is Rs15000.
The normal fee for normal 36 pages e-passport with 10-year validity is Rs13,500 and urgent is Rs22,500. The normal fee for normal 72 pages e-passport with 5-year validity is Rs16,500 and urgent is Rs27,500. The normal fee for normal 72 pages e-passport with 10-year validity is Rs24,750 and the urgent is Rs40,500.
Previously, the government of Pakistan launched an online payment service for Karachi passport applicants. Metropolitan residents would not have to wait in long bank lines because they could pay the passport fee with their smartphones.
The passport fee would be paid through a phone app called “Passport Asaan Fee” or through an online portal.
Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Lahore already have the service. Following payment, people will receive an e-mail or SMS that they can show as proof of payment at the passport office. The “Passport Assan Fee” app is available for free download from Google’s Play Store.
The e-Passport is a highly secure form of travel documentation. One of the passport pages contains an electronic chip that will be used to store biometric information about the holder.
The chip contains data that will verify the passport holder’s identity, including the passport holder’s biometrics, personal data found on the passport’s data page, a unique identification number, and a digital signature.
An e-passport contains a contactless (NFC) chip, which allows the passport to be read electronically. Pakistan’s newly issued e-passports comply with ICAO standards set by the United Nations.