The Interior Ministry has told the Senate that there is currently no proposal under consideration to cut passport fees in Pakistan. The position was set out in a written reply to Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood, who had asked about the fee structure.
No reduction under review
Officials informed the upper house that a fee cut is not on the table at present. The ministry framed the answer around the cost of producing modern travel documents rather than any new relief for applicants. For households planning travel, study or work abroad, that means the existing charges remain the baseline until a fresh policy decision is announced.
Five years of passport fee collections
Alongside its stance on fees, the ministry laid out how much the state has taken in from passport fees in Pakistan across recent fiscal years. Collections were Rs21.618 billion in 2021-22 and Rs34.495 billion in 2022-23. They rose to Rs50.906 billion in 2023-24 and Rs64.392 billion in 2024-25. In 2025-26 so far, Rs48.52 billion has been collected. Taken together, the ministry put the five-year total at Rs219.931 billion.
E-passports and payment rules
The ministry said production and procurement costs for e-passports are higher than for older conventional booklets. Pakistan is gradually moving from machine-readable passports to the e-passport system, following standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the global body that sets rules for air travel documents.
Separately, the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP) has made the designated Raast QR code the only accepted way to pay. In a public notice, the DGIP said fees paid through Interbank Fund Transfer (IBFT) using an IBAN, or through a Payment Slip Identification (PSID) via Passport Fee Asaan, would not be accepted. Applicants were urged to scan only the designated Raast QR code so their payment is recognised.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 2021-22: Passport fee collections stood at Rs21.618 billion.
- 2022-23: Collections rose to Rs34.495 billion.
- 2023-24: Collections reached Rs50.906 billion.
- 2024-25: Collections peaked in this period at Rs64.392 billion.
- 2025-26: Rs48.52 billion has been collected so far in the fiscal year.
- Recent Senate reply: The Interior Ministry said no proposal to reduce fees is under consideration and pointed to higher e-passport costs.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Wazarat-e-Dakhla ne Senate ko bataya hai ke passport fees kam karne ka koi plan abhi nahi hai. Pichle paanch saalon mein sarkar ne passport fees se qareeban 220 arab rupay ikattha kiye. Ab fee sirf designated Raast QR code se ada karni hogi; IBFT ya PSID se payment qabool nahi hogi. Jo log passport banwate ya renew karwate hain, unke liye abhi kisi kami ki umeed nahi.
