Lahore – Pakistan’s passport delivery process is encountering potential disruptions as a shortage of lamination papers, a critical component in the manufacture of travel documents, has caught the attention of authorities.

Reports reveal that the officials responsible for procurement failed to take timely measures, resulting in an alarming shortage of lamination papers essential for passport production in the country.

As a consequence of this shortage, applicants who have applied for passports at the normal fee may experience delays in receiving their travel documents. This delay could stretch the prescribed delivery time of 21 days to over a month, causing understandable frustration among those awaiting their passports.

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Despite the lamination paper scarcity, passport offices across Pakistan continue to receive applications from citizens. However, the shortage poses a challenge, making it difficult for these offices to meet timely delivery commitments.

The Directorate General of Immigration and Passport recently extended the passport delivery timeline in response to a surge in applications. The standard passport delivery time has been increased to 21 working days, impacting those in the regular application queue. Urgent and fast-track passport applicants can still expect shorter delivery times of 5 and 2 days, respectively.

The ongoing lamination paper shortage issue serves as a reminder of the importance of efficient procurement and production processes in ensuring timely delivery of essential travel documents to citizens. Authorities are now working diligently to address this issue and minimize the inconvenience faced by applicants.