Passport Karachi: Offices, 24/7 Counters & How to Apply in the City
Karachi — Pakistan’s largest city — has the country’s busiest passport offices. This guide maps them: the Saddar Regional Passport Office, the DHA/Defence office, and the 24/7 passport counters at the NADRA Mega Centre in Nazimabad, plus timings and practical tips for Karachi applicants.
Quick answer: Karachi’s main passport offices are the Regional Passport Office, Saddar, the Defence/DHA office, and the 24/7 passport counters at the NADRA Mega Centre, Nazimabad (three shifts, open round the clock). Standard hours are 8:30 AM–4:30 PM Mon–Thu (shorter Friday); the Nazimabad counters never close.
In this guide
Karachi’s passport offices
- Regional Passport Office, Saddar — the city’s central RPO, handling the full range of applications, renewals and collections.
- Defence/DHA passport office — serves Clifton, DHA and surrounding areas; convenient for south Karachi residents.
- NADRA Mega Centre, Nazimabad — passport counters inside the mega centre, running 24/7.
- NADRA mega centres (North Nazimabad, Siemens Chowrangi) — additional passport counters established to ease congestion at the central office.
The 24/7 Nazimabad counters
Inaugurated in February 2025 by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the passport office at Karachi’s NADRA Mega Centre in Nazimabad runs 24 hours, three shifts, seven days a week — citizens can apply at any time, day or night. It was created specifically to decongest the Saddar office. If your schedule doesn’t fit office hours, this is your answer. (A 24/7 model is also running in Islamabad, with Lahore next in line.)
Timings
Standard Karachi RPO hours: 8:30 AM–4:30 PM, Monday–Thursday; Friday 8:30 AM–12:30 PM with a prayer break. Token counters usually stop issuing about an hour before closing — arrive by mid-morning. The Nazimabad 24/7 counters have no closing time. Full detail in our Karachi timings guide.
Tips for Karachi applicants
Pay the fee via the Passport Fee Asaan app / Raast QR before visiting; bring the original CNIC and old passport (for renewals); keep your token receipt for SMS tracking to 9988. Saddar is busiest mid-week — the Nazimabad 24/7 counters or a NADRA mega centre counter are faster alternatives. For premium service with shorter queues, consider an Executive Passport Office (extra NADRA service charges apply).
Related Guides
Passport Karachi: FAQs
Where is the main passport office in Karachi?
The Regional Passport Office in Saddar is the central RPO; the DHA/Defence office serves south Karachi, and the NADRA Mega Centre Nazimabad runs 24/7 counters.
Is there a 24-hour passport office in Karachi?
Yes — the passport counters at the NADRA Mega Centre, Nazimabad, operate 24/7 in three shifts.
What are the Karachi passport office timings?
8:30 AM–4:30 PM Monday–Thursday; Friday 8:30 AM–12:30 PM. The Nazimabad counters are open round the clock.
Which Karachi office is least crowded?
The 24/7 Nazimabad counters and NADRA mega centre counters are designed to ease Saddar’s load — off-peak hours (early morning, late evening) are fastest.
