Pakistan Passport Guide — MRP Process & Documents
Pakistan issues the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) through the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (DGI&P), in line with ICAO standards. Applications run through a Regional Passport Office (RPO) or a Pakistan Mission abroad, following a fixed set of stages. This guide sets out what DGI&P states: who is entitled, the eight steps, the documents for adults and children, and how the fee is paid. Verified against DGI&P (dgip.gov.pk), October 2026. For the document checklist, see the Pakistan passport checklist.
Who is entitled
DGI&P states the entitlement plainly:
“Every Citizen of Pakistan is entitled to Machine Readable Passport for traveling abroad, subject to completion of all codal formalities.”
So the MRP is issued to citizens of Pakistan for travel abroad, provided the required formalities are completed. The passport is obtained through the DGI&P system at an RPO or a Pakistan Mission abroad.
How the application works
The DGI&P describes the route as a series of stages:
“The applicant will go through the following steps at Regional Passport Offices in Pakistan and Pakistan Missions abroad for obtaining the Machine Readable Passport (MRP).”
The eight steps, in the Department’s words, are:
- Arrival of the Applicant at Customer Service Counter.
- Capturing of Photograph + Token Issuance with QR Code.
- Biometrics/Finger Prints capture.
- Data Entry.
- Verification as per Office Record. (ECL/BL)
- Interview and Decision by Assistant Director.
- Fee Payment via QR Code.
- Passport Delivery (Collection of Passport).
Because the photograph is captured at step 2, there is no applicant-supplied photo to prepare — the image is taken at the counter.
The One Window desk
At some offices, several stages collapse into one desk:
“The Regional Passport Offices in Pakistan where the One Window facilitation desk has been launched, Step-2 to Step-5 as elaborated above, have to be processed at one desk.”
So where a One Window desk operates, steps 2 to 5 — photograph and token, biometrics, data entry and verification — are handled together at a single desk.
Documents to produce
At the token counter, the applicant produces identity documents:
“The applicant will produce the original CNIC/Smart-Card/NICOP or Children Registration Certificate (CRC)/B-Form, in case of below 18 years of age, along with its copies.”
- Adults (and generally): original CNIC, Smart-Card, or NICOP — with copies
- Below 18: Children Registration Certificate (CRC) or B-Form
At data entry the applicant is told to give a valid mobile number or email so passport status can be sent by SMS or email through the 9988 / Rabta service. The data-entry form is printed for the applicant to recheck and sign; DGI&P warns that any change must be pointed out at that stage, because once the data is saved it cannot be altered without cancelling the token and repeating the process.
Fee
DGI&P states how the fee is paid:
“Passport Fees can be paid online using QR code.”
The Department publishes its fee amounts as a chart (“MRP-Fee-Chart-2024”), linked from its site. Because that chart is a published image, the figures are not restated here — check DGI&P’s own fee chart for the current amounts by category. For the checklist-level view, see the Pakistan passport checklist.
Related visas
The same Directorate handles Machine Readable Visas and points to Pakistan’s online visa system:
“The DGI&P is responsible for granting/extending Machine Readable Visas (MRV) to foreign nationals from (DGI&P’s Headquarter) & zonal offices in Lahore (Garden Town), Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi (Saddar).” · “Pakistan Online Visa System is now open for the citizens of 192 Countries! Citizens from 120 countries can apply for a Visa Prior to Arrival for Business, Tourism, or Sikh Pilgrimage. 06 GCC countries are exempt from visa requirements for these categories.”
The online visa system sits on NADRA’s portal (visa.nadra.gov.pk). This is separate from the passport application, but runs through the same immigration family.
What is not published
DGI&P’s pages checked do not publish a photograph specification (no millimetre size, background colour or number of copies) for an applicant to meet, and the fee amounts are published as an image chart rather than text. Nothing beyond the published text is asserted here.
60-second Pakistan checklist
- ☐ Hold your NADRA identity first — CNIC, Smart-Card or NICOP (CRC/B-Form if under 18)
- ☐ Attend a Regional Passport Office (or a Pakistan Mission abroad)
- ☐ Follow the eight stages: counter → photograph + QR token → biometrics → data entry → ECL/BL verification → interview → fee → delivery
- ☐ Where a One Window desk operates, steps 2–5 are handled at one desk
- ☐ Recheck and sign the printed data form — changes must be flagged then
- ☐ Pay the fee by QR code; check DGI&P’s own fee chart for amounts
Frequently asked questions
Who can get a Pakistan passport?
Every citizen of Pakistan is entitled to a Machine Readable Passport for travelling abroad, subject to completion of all codal formalities.
How many steps are there?
Eight stages at an RPO or Pakistan Mission abroad, from the customer service counter through photograph, biometrics, data entry, verification, interview and fee, to passport delivery.
Do I bring my own photo?
No. The photograph is captured at the counter (step 2, with the QR token), so there is no applicant-supplied photo.
What documents do I need?
The original CNIC, Smart-Card or NICOP, with copies — or a Children Registration Certificate (CRC)/B-Form where the applicant is below 18 years of age.
How do I pay the fee?
Passport fees can be paid online using a QR code; DGI&P publishes the amounts as a fee chart.
What is the One Window desk?
At Regional Passport Offices where the One Window facilitation desk operates, steps 2 to 5 — photograph/token, biometrics, data entry and verification — are processed at one desk.
Source note: the entitlement, the eight process steps, the One Window note, the document requirement (CNIC/Smart-Card/NICOP or CRC/B-Form) and the QR fee statement are from the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports, dgip.gov.pk (home page and passport process page; checked October 2026). No applicant-supplied photo specification is published there, and the fee amounts are published as an image chart. The MRV and e-Visa statements are also from dgip.gov.pk.
Related: the Pakistan passport documents checklist, the photo size chart, the other document checklists, and the passport photo checker.