Pakistan collected Rs. 219.93 billion in passport fees over the past five fiscal years, while the Ministry of Interior has confirmed that no proposal to reduce passport charges is currently under consideration.
In a written response submitted to the Senate in reply to a question by Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood, the ministry provided a breakdown of passport fee collections from fiscal year 2021-22 through fiscal year 2025-26.
The government collected Rs. 21.618 billion in passport fees in FY22, followed by Rs. 34.495 billion in FY23 and Rs. 50.906 billion in FY24. Collections increased to Rs. 64.392 billion in FY25 before declining to Rs. 48.52 billion in FY26.
Government Rules Out Passport Fee Reduction
The Ministry of Interior informed the Senate that there was currently no plan to reduce passport fees, citing the higher production and procurement costs associated with electronic passports compared with ordinary passports.
The ministry said Pakistan was gradually moving from machine readable passports to an electronic passport, or e passport, system as part of its efforts to modernize passport issuance.
According to the written reply, the e passport system is being introduced in line with standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
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