Pakistan Passport Services Halted Globally, Expats Left in Limbo

Passport services at Pakistani missions around the world have remained suspended since April 29 due to a technical fault at headquarters in Islamabad, leaving thousands of overseas Pakistanis struggling with travel, visa, and residency requirements.

The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGI & P) confirmed that passport operations at all foreign missions have been halted "till further notice" following what officials described as a system-wide technical issue. The disruption has affected Pakistani embassies and consulates across the Gulf and beyond, including the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

Advisory to Nationals

In the UAE, missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have advised nationals to avoid visiting consular offices for passport-related services during the outage. The suspension has created significant inconvenience, with an estimated 800 to 1,000 applicants typically visiting daily for renewals and new applications.

An official at the Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai had indicated earlier that services were expected to resume on Monday, May 4, offering tentative relief. However, no formal confirmation has been issued as the service remained suspended for the sixth day, and embassy officials say they are still awaiting instructions from Islamabad.

"We only know that it is a technical issue," an embassy official said, adding that no clear timeline for restoration of service has been communicated.

Ongoing Technical Issues

The problem stems from a technical glitch at the DGI & P headquarters. A high-level meeting chaired by Director General Muhammad Ali Randhawa also reviewed the system with IT experts on April 30, but the service is yet to be restored.

This article was previously published on saudimoments. To see the original article, click here