The Directorate of Passport and Immigration on Saturday refuted recent media claims of a passport fee hike, clarifying that the fees were last revised on March 7, 2024.

In an official statement, a spokesperson from the directorate confirmed that the current passport fee structure remains unchanged, dismissing reports of an impending increase as “baseless.”

The spokesperson outlined that fees for passport issuance, based on category and page count, have not been altered since March.

Under the existing structure, the five-year fee for a 36-page passport is set at Rs4,500 for normal processing, Rs7,500 for urgent, and Rs12,500 for fast-track service.

For a 72-page passport, the five-year fees are Rs8,200 for normal processing, Rs13,500 for urgent, and Rs18,500 for fast-track.

Additionally, the re-issue fee for a lost 36-page passport begins at Rs9,000, with subsequent losses incurring double or triple fees.

The spokesperson advised citizens to ignore the unfounded rumours, reiterating that current passport fees apply to various document types, including machine-readable passports (MRPs) and e-passports, depending on page count and service category.

Earlier, some media reports suggested a new fee structure, allegedly released by the federal government, with separate charges for machine-readable and e-passports. For instance, the reports mentioned a fee of Rs3,000 for a standard 36-page e-passport with a five-year validity, rising to Rs15,000 for urgent processing.

A 75-page e-passport was said to be priced at Rs15,500 for normal service, with an urgent fee of Rs27,000 for a 10-year validity. For MRPs, the speculated fees included Rs4,500 for a five-year, 36-page passport under normal processing, Rs7,500 for urgent, and Rs13,500 for fast-track.

The Directorate of Passport and Immigration, responsible for issuing passports to citizens meeting the official criteria, affirmed that the current fee structure remains in place, with no changes being implemented as previously reported.