Passport services for Pakistanis restored worldwide after four-day disruption

Director General Passport and Immigration Muhammad Ali Randhawa says technical issue had been successfully resolved by passport headquarters, enabling resumption of operations across all regions

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 5^th, 2026) Passport issuance services for Pakistani citizens have been fully restored worldwide after a four-day suspension caused by a technical fault, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

Director General Passport and Immigration, Muhammad Ali Randhawa, said that the technical issue had been successfully resolved by the passport headquarters, enabling the resumption of operations across all regions.

He explained that the disruption had affected passport processing services in multiple countries, including Saudi Arabia, several European states, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), causing inconvenience to applicants.

Following the resolution of the issue, services have resumed at Pakistani diplomatic missions abroad. In the UAE, passport operations are now functional at the Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi as well as at the Consulate General in Dubai, where applicants can once again submit and process their documents.

Similarly, the passport services have also been restored at Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, providing relief to a large number of expatriates who rely on these facilities for travel documentation and renewal purposes.

The officials noted that the temporary suspension was due to a technical glitch in the central system, which has now been fixed. The restoration of services is expected to clear the backlog of pending applications in the coming days.

The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports has assured citizens that measures are being taken to prevent such disruptions in the future and to improve the overall efficiency of the system.

The applicants have been advised to follow official guidelines and schedules while visiting passport offices or diplomatic missions to avoid overcrowding and delays as services return to normal.