The Directorate General of Immigration and Passport Sunday decided to establish one window passport counters in National Database and Registration Authority offices across 30 densely-populated districts.
The initiative, announced by Director General Yawar Hussain during a presser in Rawalpindi, is aimed at facilitating citizens and streamlining the passport application process.
The one-window passport counters at Nadra will be operated by the Passport and Immigration Department
“Nadra will charge Rs1,000 per passport in addition to government fees,” the DG said informing about the fee-related details for the new passport counters.
Hussain refuted the veracity of news about all Nadra offices issuing passports from June 10.
The DG said that passport offices will also be established in the Tehsils when the economic conditions of the country improve.
By establishing passport offices in these districts, the government will ensure that citizens can easily access passport-related services without having to travel long distances.
In November last year, the DGIP launched an online passport-fee app enabling millions of citizens to pay their fees without having to stand in bank queues.
The service, launched under the ‘Passport Fee Asaan’ initiative, was one of the several other facilities to be launched by the government in the upcoming months.
The online payment facility was previously available for Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Lahore, and was later scheduled to be launched in Karachi. However, the ministry activated the facility across Pakistan prior to its proposed launch in the financial capital.
Regarding the online procedure, citizens were to receive notifications via e-mail and a text message after successful payment of the fee, which they must show as proof at the passport office.
