Effective May 8, the Passport Office has increased fees for the fast-track category, significantly raising costs for various passport types. The revised fee for a 36-page Machine Readable (MR) passport, valid for five years, is now Rs12,500. The cost for a 72-page passport has escalated to Rs18,500, and a 100-page passport is priced at Rs23,000. The fees for 10-year validity passports in these categories have also risen.
New expedited processing charges have been introduced, setting the fees for 100, 72, and 36-page fast-track passports at Rs25,200, Rs32,000, and Rs16,200, respectively. These adjustments are part of a broader initiative to improve passport service efficiency and delivery.
Despite the national directive for 24-hour passport office operations, the Garden Town office in Lahore has not implemented the required night shifts. This oversight has caused public dissatisfaction, particularly those expecting reduced wait times from extended hours.
Concurrently, Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi has initiated round-the-clock passport services in Karachi and Lahore to enhance accessibility. Announced via X (formerly Twitter), this move is intended to simplify public access to passport services.
Furthermore, the Passport and Immigration Department has detailed three operational shifts for Lahore and Karachi offices: from 8 am to 4 pm, 4 pm to midnight, and midnight to 8 am, starting May 7. This implementation seeks to address and mitigate citizens’ challenges in acquiring essential travel documents.
