New guidelines have been notified by The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP) regarding the issuance of travel documents, stating that a normal passport will now be issued in 21 days which was earlier processed in 10 days, as per Geo News.

The DGIP noted that criminal elements are trying to undermine the Pakistani Passport and the department observed illegal use, which has made it difficult to issue a passport on time, the directorate mentioned without elaborating further on the matter.
As a result, the passport-issuing authority has increased caution and scrutiny in the process.

However, there’s no change in the timeline for urgent and most urgent passports which are issued in 5 and 2 working days respectively.

The DGIP also advised people to visit relevant passport offices between 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., urging people to cooperate with the directorate, adding that in case of any difficulties related to obtaining a passport, they must file a complaint in the Citizen Portal.

It’s worth noting that in April of this year, the delivery times for all three passport categories—normal, urgent, and fast-track—were reduced to 10 days, 4 days, and 2 days, respectively.