Complete transition to e-passports approved, passport offices to go cashless

The Federal Ministry of Interior has decided to introduce major structural reforms to the national passport system, including a complete transition to e-passports to eliminate fraud and forgery.

The decisions were formalised during a special high-level meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at the Passport and Immigration Headquarters. Under the new directives, passport issuance will be shifted entirely to an electronic format, and online passport applications will be shifted to the Pak-ID platform.

To streamline operations, a completely cashless system will be implemented across all passport offices starting July 1, while a new business passport policy is set to be finalised soon in consultation with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

Additionally, the ministry has finalised the initial framework to launch home delivery services for passports both domestically and internationally, ensuring citizens receive their documents directly at their doorsteps.

The chair also decided that applicants opting for premium services will be charged fees corresponding to the actual expenses incurred. Earlier, Director General of Passports and Immigration Muhammad Ali Randhawa provided a comprehensive briefing to the interior minister regarding the implementation roadmap of these reforms.

On January 26, “SHIKRA,” a state-of-the-art monitoring system designed to overhaul the passport application, printing process and performance of the passports department was launched.

The system, officially known as Secure Hybrid Intelligence for Knowledge-based Response Analytics (SHIKRA), marked a significant shift toward total digitisation at the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports.

“The SHIKRA system enables 24/7 supervision of the entire passport lifecycle, from the initial application to final delivery, both in Pakistan and across global missions,” the Ministry of Interior had said in a statement.