No Passport Fee Relief in Sight as Govt Rakes in Rs 219.9b in Five Years

Senate told that passport fee collections have crossed Rs 219 billion since FY2021-22, while Interior Ministry cites higher e-passport production and procurement costs to justify maintaining existing charges.

Syed Naveed Hussain

ISLAMABAD: Millions of Pakistanis seeking new passports or renewal of existing travel documents have little prospect of a fee reduction, as the government has ruled out any immediate relief despite collecting more than Rs219.9 billion in passport fees over the past five financial years, according to official figures presented in the Senate.

In a written reply to the upper house of Parliament, the Ministry of Interior disclosed that the government collected a total of Rs219.931 billion in passport fees between FY2021-22 and FY2025-26, reflecting a substantial increase in annual collections over the period.

The figures show that passport fee revenue stood at Rs21.618 billion in FY2021-22 before rising to Rs34.495 billion in FY2022-23. Collections increased further to Rs50.906 billion in FY2023-24 and reached Rs64.392 billion in FY2024-25.

During FY2025-26, the government collected another Rs48.52 billion in passport fees, according to the documents submitted to the Senate.

Responding to a question about whether the government intended to reduce passport charges to provide relief to the public, the Ministry of Interior categorically stated that no such proposal was currently under consideration.

The ministry attributed the continuation of existing fee structures to the higher costs associated with the production and procurement of modern electronic passports, commonly known as e-passports, compared with conventional travel documents.

It explained that Pakistan was gradually transitioning from machine-readable passports to the more advanced e-passport system, which is being introduced in line with standards prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

According to the ministry, adopting the modern passport system involves additional financial requirements, particularly in production, procurement and related infrastructure, making a reduction in existing charges difficult to consider at this stage.

The figures presented before the Senate highlight the substantial revenue generated through passport services over the past five years, while the ministry's response indicates that passport applicants should not expect any immediate reduction in fees.

With no fee-relief proposal currently under consideration, citizens applying for new passports or renewing existing ones will continue to bear the prevailing charges as the government proceeds with the transition to the international e-passport system.