From Thursday, October 15, 2026, Pakistan has stopped accepting applications for new machine-readable passports, switching fully to e-passports. The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports told all passport offices and diplomatic missions abroad that October 14 was the final day for MRP applications, and every new application from October 15 onwards will be processed under the e-passport system. Passports already issued stay valid until their printed expiry dates, but they will not be renewed as MRPs. Day one of the new system was not entirely smooth: the Embassy of Pakistan in Muscat suspended passport processing services on October 15 because of technical issues, telling the Pakistani community in Oman that services would resume on October 16.
What the DGI&P directive says
A public notice issued by the Consulate General of Pakistan in New York on September 25, and circulated to all passport offices and Pakistani missions abroad, sets the rule: applicants seeking new passports on or after October 15 will be issued e-passports only. The directive follows Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s decision in June 2026 to move Pakistan completely to e-passports. Passport offices across the country and embassies and consulates worldwide have been told to implement the new system and to help applicants through the transition.
What stays valid and what changes
The change does not invalidate documents people already hold. Existing machine-readable passports remain valid until their printed expiry dates, and travellers can keep using them subject to the usual entry and visa rules of their destination countries. The break comes at renewal: once an MRP expires, its holder cannot get another MRP and must apply for an e-passport instead. In practice, every first-time applicant and every person renewing an expired document is now entering the e-passport system.
What the e-passport carries
An e-passport contains a contactless near-field communication chip that stores the holder’s biodata, facial details and digital signature, with security features designed to block forgery. The document follows International Civil Aviation Organization standards, so compatible immigration systems can verify it electronically, including at e-gates in airports. Pakistan began introducing e-passports gradually on August 16, 2023, when the facility reached field offices nationwide. The October 15 deadline marks the end of the older machine-readable version, not the start of the technology.
Day one at missions abroad
The switchover is playing out mission by mission. The New York consulate notice directed all Pakistani missions abroad to implement the system from October 15. The Embassy of Pakistan in Doha is issuing e-passports from October 15, and the Embassy in Tashkent has begun e-passport issuance while stopping MRP requests, as PakMirror’s international news coverage tracks such overseas developments. The Embassy in Sweden has published a new fee structure in Swedish kronor: for a 36-page passport, SEK 370 for normal processing and SEK 600 for urgent over five years, and SEK 540 normal and SEK 860 urgent for ten years; for a 72-page passport, SEK 650 normal and SEK 1,040 urgent for five years, and SEK 950 normal and SEK 1,510 urgent for ten years, as published by the embassy.
In Oman, the day-one rollout hit a snag. The Embassy of Pakistan in Muscat announced on Facebook a temporary suspension of passport processing services on Thursday, October 15, because of technical issues, and said normal operations would resume on Friday, October 16. The embassy asked the Pakistani community in Oman for cooperation and advised people needing passport services to plan their visits around the announced schedule.
What applicants should do now
There is no need to rush out and replace a valid MRP: it remains usable until it expires. The practical move is to apply for the e-passport before an old document runs out, and to check the latest requirements and fees through official passport channels before applying. Students and workers planning travel face an already shifting paperwork landscape, from the US student visa suspension last year to the e-passport requirement now, so early applications are the safer route. For more, see PakMirror’s latest national news from Pakistan.
