No Cut in Passport Fees, Government Tells Senate
There will be no cut in passport fees, the government has told the Senate, even though Pakistan collected Rs219.93 billion in passport fees over the past five fiscal years. The Ministry of Interior said no proposal to reduce passport charges is currently under consideration.
The ministry gave the figures in a written reply to a question from Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood. The reply covered fee collections from fiscal year 2021-22 through fiscal year 2025-26. It said the higher production and procurement costs of electronic passports, compared with ordinary passports, were behind the decision to keep fees unchanged.
The answer will disappoint applicants who hoped fees might fall as the new passport system rolled out. For now, the fee structure stays as it is, and the ministry has given no sign of a review.
How much Pakistan collected in passport fees
The five-year breakdown shows collections rising sharply for three years, then falling in the most recent year. Pakistan collected Rs21.618 billion in passport fees in FY22. That figure rose to Rs34.495 billion in FY23 and then to Rs50.906 billion in FY24.
Collections reached Rs64.392 billion in FY25, the highest year in the series. They then fell to Rs48.52 billion in FY26, a drop of about Rs15.87 billion from the peak. The ministry did not explain the FY26 fall in the account of its reply, so readers should not assume a single cause. Demand, processing volumes and the shift between passport types could all play a part, but none of those explanations was given.
Taken together, the five years add up to Rs219.93 billion. That total shows how large passport fees have become as a source of public revenue. It also explains why a cut would need a clear fiscal case: any reduction would come straight off a revenue stream that has grown fast since FY22.
Why the ministry says fees will stay
The ministry linked its position to the move from machine readable passports to electronic passports. It said Pakistan was gradually shifting to the electronic passport system as part of efforts to modernise passport issuance. Electronic passports cost more to produce and procure than ordinary passports, and that cost difference is the reason given for keeping fees at current levels.
The ministry also said the electronic passport system was being introduced in line with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). That point matters for travellers, since ICAO-compliant documents are read more easily at airports abroad and at automated border gates.
The timing of this answer is notable. Pakistan began issuing a new e-passport on October 23, with an electronic chip, NFC technology and laser engraving for stronger travel security. The Senate reply therefore lands just as the costlier document it cites is reaching applicants. Readers who want the new document will pay the current fee for it, not a reduced one.
The decision also sits within a wider identity and travel picture. Delays in Chinese visa processing for CPEC workers have shown how travel documents affect work and business, while the cancellation of 326,341 CNICs over five years shows how tightly identity records are policed. The government has also pushed digital public services as a way to cut queues and paperwork, and passports are one of the most widely used of those services.
What this means for applicants
For applicants, the message is plain. Budget for the current fee, since no reduction is coming. Anyone applying for the first time, renewing a passport or replacing a lost one will pay under the existing structure while the electronic passport rollout continues.
Applicants should also note the direction of travel. The system is moving toward electronic passports across the board, so ordinary machine readable passports will matter less over time. The ministry has framed that shift as modernisation, but it has also used it as the reason fees will not fall. In short, travellers get a more secure document, and they pay the current price for it.
The original report on this Senate reply was published by ProPakistani.
Are passport fees being reduced?
No. The Ministry of Interior told the Senate that no proposal to reduce passport fees is currently under consideration.
