ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The Pakistani diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have restored their passport operations after they temporarily stopped their services because of technical problems at the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports headquarters in Islamabad.
The Embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh and the Embassy of Pakistan in Abu Dhabi announced in official notices that passport operations returned to normal on May 5, 2026.
The embassies now open their doors during specific times for applicants who want to obtain or renew their passports. The restoration follows a recent disruption that affected passport services at Pakistan’s foreign missions because the central system in Islamabad experienced both technical and maintenance problems.
During the suspension, the missions told applicants to choose between online applications and waiting for additional information while they confirmed that services would start again when the problem was fixed.
The embassy officials explained that the service resumption will enable them to process outstanding applications while they support Pakistani citizens who need passport services at international locations.
The embassy has informed applicants to verify the official embassy websites for their operating hours and all procedural information before they come to the embassy.
Earlier, the Pakistani embassies worldwide suspended their passport services because a technical problem at their central Islamabad office prevented them from providing services to Pakistani citizens living abroad.
The Pakistani Embassy in Muscat announced through Facebook that passport services for the Pakistani community in Oman will remain suspended until they provide another update.
The embassy advised applicants to stay updated through its official social media channels regarding the resumption of services. The disruption stems from a technical fault at the passport headquarters in Islamabad, which has affected operations across all Pakistani foreign missions.
Officials have not released an expected time for service restoration because they need to address the problems that online citizens face in foreign countries.
