Executive Passport Office Haroonabad: Application, Biometrics & Delivery Guide

For decades, citizens residing in Tehsil Haroonabad, Fort Abbas, and the vast borderlands of eastern Bahawalnagar District faced substantial logistical friction whenever they required international travel documents. Securing a new passport or renewing an expired booklet required an arduous, day-long round-trip journey to the district headquarters in Bahawalnagar city, characterized by predatory transportation costs, dawn queuing outside bank branches, and lost working hours. That systemic deficiency was permanently resolved with the commissioning of the Executive Passport Office Haroonabad. Located along Judicial Complex Road near the Tehsil Courts, this modern facility provides full-service immigration processing, biometric enrollment, and e-Passport issuance under a streamlined, single-roof administrative environment.

Decentralizing Immigration Services: The Passport Office in Haroonabad

Relieving Pressure from the District Headquarters in Bahawalnagar

The operational mandate of the Haroonabad Passport Office is rooted in the federal policy of administrative decentralization executed by the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (DGIP). By establishing a fully equipped regional office within Tehsil Haroonabad, the federal government significantly relieved severe processing bottlenecks that had historically overwhelmed the Bahawalnagar district passport center.

The local office accommodates a massive demographic catchment: serving urban entrepreneurs, students pursuing foreign collegiate scholarships, agricultural traders traveling to global machinery expos, and thousands of overseas Pakistani laborers whose remittances from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Europe form the economic bedrock of Haroonabad's retail real estate and agricultural modernization.

Geographic Accessibility for Residents of Haroonabad, Faqirwali, and Fort Abbas

Strategically positioned near the junction of Chishtian Road and Circular Road, the facility provides effortless geographic access for residents across Tehsil Haroonabad as well as neighboring tehsils. Citizens traveling from remote desert border union councils—such as Faqirwali, Dahranwala, Khichiwala, and Marot in Fort Abbas—save hours of transit time.

The facility features an air-conditioned main waiting hall, dedicated token distribution kiosks, accessible ramps for handicapped citizens, and digital display monitors that transparently announce application movement across successive operational stages.

Step 1: Digital Fee Payment via 'Passport Fee Asan' App / 1-Bill

Generating the PSID Tracking Code on Smartphone or Web Portal

A critical operational reform that applicants must understand is the total elimination of manual paper bank challan forms (*Challan 32-A*). Applicants visiting the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) on Bank Road will no longer be issued manual paper passport deposit slips.

Instead, applicants must download the official **Passport Fee Asan** mobile application (available on Google Play Store and Apple iOS) or access the web portal (`fee.dgip.gov.pk`). Within the app, the user selects 'Passport Payment', chooses their desired passport category (Standard Machine-Readable Passport or Next-Gen e-Passport), specifies the page count (36, 72, or 100 pages), selects the validity period (5 or 10 years), and designates the delivery priority (Normal, Urgent, or Fast Track). The system instantaneously generates a unique 17-digit Public Sector Identification (PSID) code.

Payment Options: JazzCash, EasyPaisa, ATM, and Bank Counters (No Manual National Bank Challans)

The generated PSID code is universally integrated into the national **1-Bill** payment switch. Citizens can settle the fee within seconds directly from their smartphones using mobile financial wallets such as JazzCash, EasyPaisa, Nayapay, or any commercial mobile banking app (HBL, Meezan, Bank of Punjab, UBL, etc.).

Alternatively, applicants can pay at any commercial bank ATM or present the 17-digit PSID over the counter at any commercial bank branch in Haroonabad. Once paid, the system transmits an automated digital payment confirmation via SMS and email. The applicant prints this digital receipt or retains the SMS confirmation, which is verified instantaneously upon entering the Passport Office.

Step 2: In-Person Biometric Journey at Haroonabad Passport Office

Token Generation and Verification of Original Smart CNIC

Upon arrival at the Haroonabad Passport Office, the applicant enters through the security checkpoint and proceeds to the intake reception counter. The intake officer verifies the original, valid Smart CNIC and confirms digital fee payment via the PSID tracking database. The applicant is issued an electronic queue token, initiating their processing workflow.

Applicants are called forward to specialized data entry desks where biometric identity matching is cross-referenced with NADRA's central records to guarantee that no fraudulent duplicate identity or blacklisted records exist.

High-Resolution Facial Photography and Ten-Finger Biometric Recording

At the biometric capture station, the applicant sits before a high-resolution optical camera system. Standard international biometric rules apply: spectacles with heavy frames, colored contact lenses, and facial coverings must be removed to ensure full visibility of the facial triangle (eyes, nose, and mouth).

The applicant then places all ten fingers onto the live optical scanner, capturing high-resolution fingerprint ridge templates. For young children under the age of four, fingerprint scanning is formally exempted, and identification is anchored solely to digital facial photography and parental B-Form linkages.

Data Entry Verification: Spousal Endorsements, Occupation, and Dual Nationality Declarations

During data entry, the operator inputs critical travel endorsements: current occupation, exact foreign travel destination if applicable, and marital declarations. For married women, the husband's name must be officially updated on their Smart CNIC prior to applying, as the passport system strictly inherits marital status from NADRA.

Government servants (such as teachers, doctors, and municipal employees) must present an official No-Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by their parent administrative department in Lahore or Bahawalnagar. Once all fields are entered, the applicant signs a printed summary sheet certifying the complete accuracy of every spelling and address.

The Exit Interview with the Assistant Director / Branch In-Charge

The final procedural milestone inside the Haroonabad facility is the exit interview conducted by the Assistant Director / Branch In-Charge. The Assistant Director reviews the physical application file, verifies original identity documents, and asks routine confirmatory questions regarding travel intent or previous lost passports.

Upon executive approval, the Assistant Director stamps and signs the original token slip, handing the applicant the official **Passport Delivery Receipt**. This receipt features the applicant's 11-digit tracking token number, the date of application, and the exact scheduled collection date.

Passport Tiers & Validity Options: Machine-Readable (MRP) vs. Next-Gen e-Passport

36-Page, 72-Page, and 100-Page Options for Business Travelers and Pilgrims

When configuring their passport application, citizens can select among three booklet sizes: a standard **36-page booklet** (ideal for occasional tourists, Umrah pilgrims, and single-contract overseas laborers); a **72-page booklet** (tailored for frequent business travelers and regional traders); and a massive **100-page booklet** designed for corporate executives and international freight coordinators.

Choosing an adequate page count upfront prevents the inconvenient necessity of renewing a passport prematurely simply because visa and immigration stamp pages have been exhausted.

5-Year vs. 10-Year Validity Considerations

Adult applicants (aged 18 and above) are strongly recommended to choose the **10-year validity option**. Although the 10-year booklet incurs a slightly higher initial fee, it halves the long-term administrative burden, provides uninterrupted multi-year residency visa endorsements, and offers substantial financial savings over time.

Note that under federal immigration regulations, children under the age of 15 are legally restricted to a maximum 5-year validity passport due to rapid physical changes in adolescent facial biometric features.

Tracking Delivery Status & Passport Collection Protocols

SMS Tracking Service (9988) and Online Portal Verification

Applicants do not need to make speculative in-person visits to check if their passport booklet has arrived from the centralized printing facility in Islamabad. Tracking is fully automated: applicants can send their 11-digit token number via SMS to **9988** from their registered mobile phone.

The system sends an automated status reply detailing whether the booklet is 'Under Review', 'In Production', 'Dispatched from Printing Headquarters', or 'Ready for Collection at Haroonabad Regional Office'.

Physical Collection Requirements: Original Receipt and CNIC Verification

When the passport arrives at the Haroonabad office, the applicant must present their original stamped **Delivery Token Receipt** and original valid CNIC at the collection window. The applicant's biometric thumbprint is verified on the delivery scanner before the physical booklet is handed over.

If the passport holder is abroad or physically incapacitated, a direct first-degree blood relative (father, mother, brother, sister, or spouse) can collect the booklet upon presenting the original receipt, original CNICs of both parties, and an attested authority letter.