Pakistan has reached a major milestone by launching its first-ever ePassport, with a microchip embedded in the cover and modern security features integrated throughout its pages. The document meets ICAO standards. Pakistan’s passport was last redesigned in 2017.
All versions of Pakistan’s ePassport have microchip in the cover
In October 2022 Director General Immigration and Passport (DGI&P) Yawar Hussain announced that Pakistan’s new e-Passport was live. In the initial stage, the document was issued to only a handful of government officials. Now, all Pakistani citizens and expatriates are eligible to apply for the ePassport.
DGI&P officials explained to citizens that the “highly secure travel document embedded with a microchip which contains biometric information … can be used to authenticate the identity of passport holder.” They also emphasize that the new system will streamline travel as Pakistani passport holders will benefit from the e-gate facility at airports around the world.
Furthermore, the new system will help the immigration department curb the use of fraudulent documents—a major source of crime in Pakistan.
State-of-the-art security features
Some of the security features integrated into Pakistan’s ePassport are highlighted below.
Secure Passport Hinge
Optical Variable Ink (OVI)
Diffractive Optically Variable Image Device (DOVID)
Multiple Laser Printing (MLI)
Sources/References:
Pakistan Director General Immigration and Passport (DGI&P)
Associated Press of Pakistan
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