Pakistan ends issuance of machine-readable passports

Pakistan has ended the issuance of machine-readable passports, with e-passports now being issued to citizens at passport offices nationwide and at Pakistani diplomatic missions abroad, according to the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports.

KARACHI: Pakistan has ended the issuance of machine-readable passports, with e-passports now being issued to citizens at passport offices nationwide and at Pakistani diplomatic missions abroad, according to the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports.

The change took effect on October 23, 2026, ending a system that had been in place for 22 years, the directorate said.

Existing machine-readable passports will remain valid until their expiry dates, allowing holders to continue using them.

Pakistan began issuing e-passports in March 2022, initially to diplomats and residents of Islamabad. In August 2023, the facility was extended to all citizens, who could then choose between an e-passport and a machine-readable passport.

Before machine-readable passports were introduced, Pakistan issued handwritten passports, a practice dating back to independence in 1947.