Pakistani missions in UAE to stop issuing manual passports

Pakistani missions in the UAE have advised countrymen to obtain machine readable passports on urgent basis as they will stop issuing manual passport after four months.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Muhammad Abdul Wahid Khan, Press Counsellor at Pakistan Consulate in Dubai, said Pakistan embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate in Dubai will not issue manual passports from November even in emergency cases.

Since 2013, Pakistani missions have not been issuing manual passports on a regular basis but only in emergency cases such as in case the passport is burnt or lost and the holder has to travel to country due to an emergency.

“All Pakistani Manual Passport holders are informed that as per the deadline given by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, issuance of manual passports even under exceptional circumstances from Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi or Consulate General of Pakistan Dubai, UAE will be discontinued with effect from November, 2015,” Khan said.

In order to prevent any avoidable inconvenience, he advised all Pakistani manual passport holders to urgently obtain machine readable passports (MRP) either from Pakistani missions in the UAE or passport offices in Pakistan. There are approximately 1.3 million Pakistani nationals living in the UAE.

Khan said: “Pakistan machine readable passport has some very unique features. For instance, the fire doesn’t burn it completely; it’ll be damaged but not destroyed by the fire.”

There are approximately 1.3 million Pakistanis living in the UAE.