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No extra fee for 10-year extension in validity of Pakistan passport

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Islamabad - Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid says facility is meant only for workers

Published: Thu 24 Dec 2020, 10:11 PM

Updated: Thu 24 Dec 2020, 10:42 PM

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  • APP

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Thursday announced an extension of the passport validity from five years to 10 years without any additional fee to facilitate country’s labour community working abroad, especially in the Middle East countries.

“The new passports will be issued at the previous fee of Rs3,000. This decision will be implemented from January 1. It is a gift from Prime Minister Imran Khan for the entire labour community,” the minister told media after visiting the office of the Directorate-General of Immigration and Passport.

Rashid made it clear that the decision would not be applicable on ‘official and red’ passports as the facility was only meant for the workers.

The minister said a new e-passport would be launched from April 28 next year which would help secure data on modern lines.

Rashid said an express service was being launched across the country under which home delivery of passports would be provided to citizens

“The facility has already been activated in Islamabad and will soon be available in Rawalpindi,” he added.

Rashid said an SMS service had also been started with the basic aim to inform passport holders six-month before expiry of their passports.

From January 1, he said, the ‘e-service’ will be initiated. Rashid said as many as 64 officers of the Passport and Immigration Department had been working abroad for long periods, adding they would be called back and replaced by new officers at the earliest.



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