(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The move is in accordance with the requirements from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to all countries to phase out manual passports by November 2015 Pakistani authorities have stopped issuing manual passports since December 2013 said an official from the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai.
The move is in accordance with the requirements from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to all countries to phase out manual passports by November 2015 so as to prevent fraud.
“Earlier we had a deadline of 2012 but then it was extended and since December last year we have altogether stopped issuing manual booklets. Only machine-readable passports (MRPs) are being issued” said the official.
He said the move was aimed at preventing illegal immigration and human trafficking to the Gulf as well as European and developed countries.
Validity of MRPs has recently been increased to 10 years as compared to manual copies that were valid only for five years. The processing cost has also been increased by 80 per cent. People have also been given the option of applying for a 100-page passport which can be obtained by paying Dh542 while a 36-page passport now costs Dh272 against the earlier cost of Dh151 for a passport with a five-year validity. A 72-page passport costs Dh497.
The official however said no statistics were available on the number of valid manual passports currently in circulation.
“All those coming to renew their passports are told that they will only be given MRPs” he said.
An estimated 450-500 passport renewals are applied for on a daily basis. “The consulate issues 10000 passports on a monthly basis” he added.
asmaalizainkhaleejtimes.com
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.