Overview
- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced Wednesday that cashless transactions are now operational at all passport offices, replacing in-person cash payments with QR code–based digital payments.
- Applicants are instructed to get a QR code at the passport counter and pay by scanning it with any banking app; the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports has published a step‑by‑step video guide for users.
- Authorities say the cashless system will be migrated onto the government’s Pak‑ID digital identity platform as part of a broader plan to modernise passport services.
- Officials, including DG Muhammad Ali Randhawa, have described further planned changes — a passport mobile app, a gradual move to e‑passports, and doorstep delivery using TCS and DHL — as developing initiatives rather than completed rollouts.
- The reform is presented as a way to speed processing, reduce queues and curb illegal practices, but reporting so far relies on official statements and does not include independent verification of on‑the‑ground operation or user experience.