Pakistan Extends Passport Office Hours to Midnight in 8 Cities

ISLAMABAD: In an effort to ease citizen access to passport offices irrespective of normal working hours, Pakistan has extended operating hours of passport offices at eight regional centers. This decision comes in response to decades-old grievances related to inadequate access and long lines at passport offices across Pakistan.

Passport Office Hours: Two Shifts Under Interior Minister's Directive

As directed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, all passport offices will now be operating on two shifts starting from 08:00 AM until midnight. In essence, the move represents an extension of passport office timings for Pakistani citizens through the adoption of the two-shift schedule, doubling the existing period during which people can access passport-related facilities. The decision comes against the backdrop of Pakistan expanding passport office working hours by adopting a two-shift policy framework.

This decision shall be applied to passport offices operating in Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan, Bahawalpur, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, and Quetta. The chosen cities offer a wide geographic reach within the country, guaranteeing benefits to residents of multiple cities and provincial capitals instead of confining this project to any specific region.

Citizens have long complained of excessive queuing times and inadequate operational hours at the passport offices throughout Pakistan, especially those who face challenges due to work commitments or travel from beyond the city perimeter to access the nearest passport office location.

With the recent announcement to extend passport office hours at eight regional offices, the development aims to address longstanding grievances from the public regarding passport issuance times and processes, which did not leave room for flexibility. It is noteworthy that passport application processing will become more accommodating compared to previous arrangements.

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As passport office timings will be extended till late evenings in Pakistan, this decision is expected to facilitate the citizens’ ease while making an application for passport-related services and reducing wait times outside passport offices.

“Passport offices will extend timings until 9 p.m. The move will assist people who find difficulty visiting passport offices in their respective regions,” informed officials on Friday. Working citizens can now easily make their passport applications without requiring any leave from work. This is due to the fact that passport offices have added extended business hours.

As per recent reports published by The Times, the initiative represents part of an ongoing drive to enhance accessibility to passport-related services and expand service provision outside traditional business hours. It would involve expanding operating hours far beyond regular office hours (e.g., 9 AM to 5 PM).

Such a move seems designed to directly address one of the biggest pain points associated with passport services provided by governments. In particular, the effectiveness of this approach may determine whether or not it gets scaled up across other urban centers besides the original batch of eight pilot cities.