Government cuts ordinary passport delivery time to 14 days, orders cashless system

ISLAMABAD: The government has reduced the delivery period for ordinary passports from 21 days to 14 days and directed passport offices across the country to switch fully to cashless transactions within 15 days.

The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting in Islamabad chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, according to an official handout.

Naqvi said, according to the statement, that the delivery time for normal passports had been brought down from 21 days to 14 days. Officials said the revised 14-day timeline for ordinary passports has taken effect immediately.

The interior minister also said that a complete cashless system would be introduced in passport offices, while passport authorities were given 15 days to end cash payments at all offices nationwide.

“Eliminating cash payments will end the agent mafia and facilitate citizens”, Naqvi said.

According to the official statement, authorities were also instructed to complete work on a separate business passport category at the earliest. The meeting further directed officials to improve the home-delivery system for passports.

Naqvi said the creation of a dedicated Passport Authority was extremely necessary for improving the system and public service delivery.

Meeting attended by senior officials

The meeting was attended by Interior Secretary Khurram Ali Agha, Director General Passports and Immigration Muhammad Ali Randhawa and other senior officials.

The move comes at a time when passport offices have been facing pressure due to long queues and complaints about delays in processing. Demand for passports has risen sharply since 2022.

According to immigration data cited in the official account of the development, more than 6.5 million passports were issued in 2023 alone. Applicants have also complained that they were being compelled to pay agents to secure quicker processing.

The latest measures are aimed at easing the process for citizens seeking passports and addressing persistent complaints linked to delays and cash-based dealings at passport offices. The government’s decision to shorten the delivery period for ordinary passports and move offices to a cashless model was announced as part of efforts discussed during the Islamabad meeting.

The official handout said the new timeline for ordinary passports is already in force, while the transition away from cash payments is to be completed within the next 15 days at passport offices throughout the country.