The Ministry of Interior on Wednesday said that the passport may be extended manually for a further period of one year on realisation of proportionate fee equivalent to Rs1,000 by submitting application on a plain paper along with copies of passport and computerized national identity card (CNIC).

According to a notification issued by Ministry of Interior, the director general Immigration and Passport has taken preventive measures to avoid spread of the coronavirus through biometric capturing, while processing of machine readable passport (MRP) application and public gathering including all passport issuing authorities at home and abroad may be advised to entertain expired CNICs up to June 30, 2020 and until further orders as the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has discontinued renewal of the CNICs.

It says that expired passport may be extended manually by giving following manual observation, for a further period of one year on realization of proportionate fee equivalent to Rs1,000 by submitting application on plain paper along with copies of passport and CNIC.

It further says that manual endorsement regarding newborn babies may be made in the MRP of either of parents, subject to realization prescribed endorsement fee equivalent to Rs800 and completion of all other formalities.

The endorsement register for renewal of such passports includes name, parentage, and passport no, date of expiry and extended up to.

The foreign missions may be advised that the passport applicant may prefer to apply through online service.

In case, the passport is not received by the application through online service due to suspension of operation of international flights, a manual extension may be granted on their existing passports.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is requested to convey the above instruction to the foreign missions in Islamabad as well as our foreign missions abroad, it says.