• Authorities plan passport home delivery, chatbot for applicants
• Cashless payment options to replace National Bank deposits

ISLAMABAD: Blue passports have been approved for 42 top taxpayers designated as ambassadors at large on the directions of the prime minister, Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP) chief Muhammad Ali Randhawa told Dawn on Sunday.

Mr Randhawa said most of the approved blue passports had already been issued.

“Another proposal for special-coloured passports for businessmen paying taxes above a certain threshold is under consideration, with input from the Ministry of Commerce and the Federal Board of Revenue,” he said.

The DGIP is also set to introduce nationwide home delivery of passports and launch a chatbot to facilitate applicants.

“Applicants will soon have the option to get passports delivered to their doorsteps,” Mr Randhawa said, adding that discussions with a courier service company were under way.

“After an agreement is signed, the facility will be available across the country. Under this initiative, passports of those ready to pay nominal courier charges will be shipped directly to their addresses from Islamabad,” he said.

Mr Randhawa said authorities planned to extend the service to overseas Pakistanis in the second phase.

He said a chatbot would also be launched soon to help applicants. “Applicants will be able to get guidelines through it on procedures and document requirements, and check the status of their passports after submission,” he said.

He added that the initiative would also reduce the load on the department’s call centre, “which is also being expanded”.

Mr Randhawa said a proposal to allow online submission of passport applications was also under “serious” consideration.

He said officials were considering either launching a dedicated app similar to the National Database and Registration Authority’s (Nadra) Pak-ID or expanding the scope of Nadra’s app to accept passport applications.

Under the proposed system, applicants would be able to upload old passports and photographs through the app for registration and would be notified by email if additional documents were required.

“The initiative will allow application submission 24/7 from anywhere and will address human resource shortages,” he said.

Mr Randhawa also said that after June 30, passport fees would no longer be deposited at National Bank branches.

“Cashless transactions will be fully activated to end the role of the agent mafia. Tokens will carry a QR code that applicants can scan to pay through banking apps on their phones,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2026