Passport services at Pakistani missions abroad have resumed following a week-long technical outage at the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGI&P) headquarters in Islamabad.
Missions across the Gulf, Asia, and Europe have confirmed restoration since 5 May 2026. The system failure, which began on 29 April, had left thousands of overseas Pakistanis unable to renew or apply for passports at embassies and consulates worldwide.
Where Services Have Resumed
The following Pakistani missions have confirmed that passport processing services are back in operation:
- UAE — Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate General in Dubai (confirmed 5 May)
- Saudi Arabia — Embassy in Riyadh (confirmed 5 May)
- United Kingdom — Consulate General in Manchester (confirmed 5 May)
- Oman — Embassy in Muscat (resumed 6 May, walk-in only, no appointment required)
- Singapore — High Commission (confirmed 5 May via X)
Applicants in these countries can now visit the embassy or consulate to apply for a new passport or renew their existing one. Aaj News reported on 5 May that embassies and consulates in “several other countries” have also restored services.
Where Resumption Has Not Yet Been Confirmed
As of 6 May, the following mission had not yet issued a public resumption notice:
- Qatar — Embassy in Doha (suspension announced until further notice as of 3 May)
Given that the central system has been restored and missions across multiple regions are back online, Qatar and any remaining missions are expected to resume shortly if they have not already.
If your country is not listed in either section above, check your nearest Pakistani mission’s official social media pages (primarily X) for the latest status.
What You Can Do Now
If your local mission has resumed services, you can visit in person to apply for or renew your passport.
If services are still suspended at your mission, here is what you can do instead:
- Apply online. The online passport application system remains available for renewals and new applications where eligible.
- Monitor official channels. Each embassy is posting updates on its social media accounts (primarily X). The Qatar embassy confirmed it will announce resumption on its social media platforms.
- Note the limitation for some first-time applicants. Families with newborn babies up to two years of age can apply online, while minors over two years of age have to visit the concerned foreign mission with supporting documents and may need to wait for services to resume.
If you have urgent travel or visa deadlines, contact your nearest Pakistani mission directly for case-by-case guidance.
What Caused the Outage
The outage originated from a technical failure at the DGI&P headquarters in Islamabad on 29 April 2026, which knocked out passport processing systems both domestically and at all foreign missions.
A high-level meeting chaired by DG Muhammad Ali Randhawa with IT experts took place on 30 April to review the system. Services were initially expected to restart by 4 May but began resuming on 5 May at select missions.
The outage also affected domestic passport offices across Pakistan, halting the issuance of both e-passports and machine-readable passports for over a week.
Sources
- Khaleej Times — Pakistan Embassy in UAE, Saudi Arabia Resume Passport Processing Service
- Aaj News — Passport Services Resume at Pakistani Missions Abroad
- Pakistan Consulate Manchester — Resumption of Passport Service
- Times of Oman — Pakistan Embassy in Muscat Resumes Passport Services After Outage
- Khaleej Times — Pakistan Embassy in Qatar Suspends Passport Processing Service Until Further Notice
- Gulf News — Pakistan Restores Passport Services in UAE After Global Outage
- Gulf News — Pakistan Passport Services Suspended Worldwide: Technical Glitch Leaves Overseas Expats Stranded
- TechJuice — Pakistan Passport System Outage Enters Second Week, Issuance Still Suspended
- ProPakistani — Passport Services at All Pakistan Foreign Missions Temporarily Suspended
Disclaimer: Wego strives to ensure all information presented in this article is accurate and up to date at the time of publication. Travel policies, prices, visa requirements, and conditions can change rapidly. We strongly recommend verifying critical details with official sources before making travel decisions. Wego does not accept liability for any inaccuracies, oversights, or changes that may occur after publication.
