Pakistani residents in UAE to get e-passports from July 20

The Government of Pakistan will begin issuing e-passports to Pakistani nationals living in the UAE from July 20, 2026, in line with the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), according to a public notice posted on Pakistan Consulate General Dubai social media accounts.

Under the new system, all passport applications submitted from July 20 onwards at the Embassy of Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai will be processed exclusively under the e-passport category.

The embassy clarified that existing machine-readable passports (MRPs) will remain valid until their expiry dates. Pakistani citizens holding passports with more than six months of remaining validity have been advised to renew their documents only when the validity period falls below six months.

The government also noted that online passport application services remain available to Pakistanis residing abroad through the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP).

The embassy simultaneously announced the fee structure for e-passports, offering both five-year and ten-year validity options.

For a standard 36-page e-passport valid for five years, applicants will be charged Dhs 145, while the urgent service will cost Dhs 235. A 72-page passport will cost Dhs 260 under the normal category and Dhs 425 for urgent processing.

For ten-year validity, the fee for a standard 36-page passport has been set at Dhs 215, increasing to Dhs 355 for urgent applications. A 72-page passport will cost Dhs 390 under the normal category and Dhs 635 for urgent issuance.

The fee schedule also includes separate charges for applicants seeking replacements for lost passports, with higher rates applicable to first and second-loss cases.

The Embassy of Pakistan urged community members to visit the DGIP website and follow the embassy’s official channels for further information and updates.