Pakistan has announced new fees for five-year e-passports and 10-year machine-readable passports (MRPs) for Pakistanis living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The fee schedule was issued by the Pakistani Embassy. All fees will be collected in UAE dirhams.
What are the new passport fees?
The fees for five-year e-passports are as follows:
| Passport type | Normal fee | Urgent fee |
| 36-page e-passport | 145 dirhams | 235 dirhams |
| 72-page e-passport | 260 dirhams | 425 dirhams |
For 10-year machine-readable passports, the new fees are:
| Passport type | Normal fee | Urgent fee |
| 36-page MRP | 215 dirhams | 355 dirhams |
| 72-page MRP | 390 dirhams | 635 dirhams |
What happens if a passport is lost?
Applicants who lose their passport for the first time will have to pay twice the normal fee for a replacement. If the passport is lost for a second time, the fee will increase to four times the normal amount.
Will Pakistanis now receive e-passports?
Pakistan has started issuing e-passports through its offices in the country and Pakistani diplomatic missions abroad.
The new e-passport includes modern security features. It aims to improve the safety of travel documents and make identity checks more reliable in line with international standards.
However, people who already hold machine-readable passports can continue using them until their expiry date.
New passports and passport renewals will now be issued as e-passports under the new system.
UAE continues issuing 30,000 visas to Pakistanis
UAE is reportedly issuing around 30,000 visas to Pakistani nationals every month as bilateral relations between the two countries continue to improve.
According to media reports, approximately 2.2 million Pakistanis currently live and work in the UAE, contributing to the economies of both countries through employment, business activities and remittances.
