- Pakistan will stop issuing new MRPs on October 15, 2026, switching new applications to e-passports.
- Applicants can seek a new machine-readable passport through October 14, 2026.
- Existing passports remain usable until their printed expiry; holders do not need immediate replacement.
Pakistan will stop issuing new machine-readable passports on October 15, 2026, shifting new issuance to electronic passports at home and abroad. The change affects new applications, not the validity period printed on passports already in circulation.
From that date, passport offices will accept only e-passport applications for new issuance. The policy also covers Pakistani diplomatic missions abroad.
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An MRP that remains valid on October 15 does not have to be replaced immediately. Holders can continue using it until its printed expiry date.
The change sets a new standard for applications. It does not cancel current passports.
Applicants have through October 14 to seek an MRP
October 14, 2026, is the final day to apply for a new MRP under the existing system. Applications submitted from the following day will be processed for e-passports only.
The cutoff applies to new issuance. Anyone applying on or after October 15 should expect an e-passport, rather than a newly issued MRP. The available policy details do not set out different rules for first-time applicants and other new applications.
That leaves applicants with a defined transition point. The old document type will no longer be an option for new issuance after the deadline.
The same switch applies inside Pakistan and at overseas missions. Applicants abroad face the same passport-type change as people applying at domestic offices.
Valid MRPs stay usable until their printed expiry
People who already hold an MRP can keep using it until the expiry date printed in the passport. The policy does not require them to obtain an e-passport simply because the new issuance rules take effect.
Expiry changes the replacement option. When an existing MRP expires, it will not be renewed as an MRP; the replacement will be an e-passport.
The distinction is between a valid document and a new application. A passport remains usable for its stated validity, while the next issuance after expiry moves to the electronic format.
This also means holders do not need to treat October 15 as an immediate replacement deadline. Their own passport’s printed expiry remains the date that determines when it needs replacing.
The change covers passport offices and missions abroad
The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports issued a circular instructing passport offices and missions abroad to carry out the transition. The instructions extend the change across Pakistan and to consular locations outside the country.
The shift therefore is not limited to applications made inside Pakistan. Overseas applicants will also move to e-passports for new issuance after the cutoff.
The policy changes the document issued, not the stated validity of passports already held. Those two rules apply at the same time: existing MRPs remain valid until expiry, while new issuance moves to e-passports.
The electronic passport was already being issued alongside MRPs
Pakistan had been issuing e-passports alongside MRPs before the transition. October’s change makes the electronic version the sole passport type available for new issuance, ending the parallel system.
A Directorate General of Immigration and Passports homepage update dated July 1, 2026, carried the title “E-Passport Replace Ordinary Passport.” That notice preceded the October transition.
The switch is consequently not the start of e-passport issuance. It ends the option of applying for a new MRP, while leaving currently valid MRPs in use until the dates printed in them.
A new application made on or after October 15 will result in an e-passport. An MRP holder can keep the existing passport until expiry, then apply for the electronic replacement.
