MR Passport - Canberra Australia - Share your experience please

Society Travel & Tourism
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Hi all,

We need to get our passports renewed soon (within a couple of months max). It would be nice if people who have had experience of visiting the Pakistan High Commission in Canberra, Australia for this purpose share their experience.

I am interested in the dos and don’ts of the process and any handy tips like what to bring, when to reach, how many people to expect there and the like. We will be driving from Melbourne so advice about where to stay, how long can we expect to be there when to leave (for and from Canberra) etc is highly appreciated. Also I will be taking a day off from work (we are planning on leaving on a Thursday night, get the work done on Friday, rest on Saturday and leave early Sunday. Does that sound right?

Also what is the best time to reach the high commission? The website says they start handing out tokens at 9:30 AM but should we reach there early? Like 8:30 in the morning to avoid long lines?

Thanks for all your help.

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Re: MR Passport - Canberra Australia - Share your experience please

We had dealt with them several times both g8 experience and worst. they will try to give pakistani experience in aus.

when dealing stay firm and tell them what you want and within time frame. before you travel to Canberra call them and tell them about your trip and why you will be visiting them. and what are the requirements. note down person's name whom you talked to. ask them their operating time. and note down that too.

i remember during my last dealing with them they opened 10am and close 12. we had huge fight with them. once we had to fax them and they needed few hours to grab fax and
discuss issue with us.

so must call them before travelling. dont just rely on their website and forms that you can not even fill due to little space...have all paper work ready and documents certified even if they dont ask to avoid issues.

good luck

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Re: MR Passport - Canberra Australia - Share your experience please

Thanks Roshni. One question, did you have any child with you? I have a 5 y/o who has a valid passport but does not have a NICOP. Will that be a problem? The HC website says all children need to have a NICOP but I am not sure if that is required if the child has Form B (bay form) and NADRA birth certificate. Can you please confirm if you had children with you and, if yes, did they need to have NICOP?
I called the HC and they told me whatever is required, is mentioned on the website and they are unable to tell whether this will be required or not (pretty stupid, IMO).

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Re: MR Passport - Canberra Australia - Share your experience please

Only the people who go unprepared, and without proper documents are the ones that argue, and fight with staff for their own failures. If you take proper docs and go prepared with all requirements, there is no way you would be mis-treated.
Our people like to show up, then argue uselessly for favors or that they forgot this and that, or didn’t know this or that.
These same people don’t throw tantrums when they go to apply for Australian passports, etc…over there they go fully prepared…

Before making generalizations, why not check the website and prepare yourself before going there:

Machine-Readable Passports: Machine Readable Passport

NICOP: National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP)

It’s really easy. For NICOP it can be applied by post/mail…no need to even go in person…download the form, attach the docs and send it to them…

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Re: MR Passport - Canberra Australia - Share your experience please

get there at around 9:15am to 9:30am.......passports are easy to apply. Just make sure you have all requirements.
Most important = proof of Aus residency/nationality/status, previous pak ppt, nicop/nic, fee money, ......check if fee can be paid in cash or it has to be paid beforehand into a bank acocunt, etc......

High Commission has nothing to do with getting to/from Canberra, stay, etc that is your own thing.
Their timings are on website.
Remember not to go on a Pakistani or Australian stat holiday...

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Re: MR Passport - Canberra Australia - Share your experience please

I don’t know about Australia but I recently renewed my passport in Paris, so here are items you need:

1 - Photocopy of valid NICOP/CNIC card of the applicant. The expired cards cannot be used, you must have a valid card.

2 - Photocopy of the residence permit/visa/resident card, again must be valid

3 - Original current passport + its Photocopy

4 - Fees are paid in cash in the embassy. Here they have a National Bank counter and give you receipts.

5 - You go to the counter when your token number is called, they will take you photo + scan your fingers/thumbs of both hands and give you a receipt to pick up your passport on the date mentioned on it.

6 - Both 5 and 10 year passports are possible with normal and urgent fees.

In your case, the Pakistan High Commissioner in Australia has this detailed webpage explaining everything Machine Readable Passport

You can contact them through email or telephone but they prefer email.

*Email:

For further information, please email at your nearest relevant mission:

Email at: Pakistan High Commission Canberra: [EMAIL=“[email protected]”][email protected]
Email at: Consulate General of Pakistan Sydney: [EMAIL=“[email protected]”][email protected]

(We try to reply emails on daily basis)

Telephone enquiries:

Email enquiry is preferred way of communication and replied on daily basis. Limited phone calls on (Canberra) number 02-62863566 are accepted (Thursday/Friday 10:00-12:00 only) to address emergency issues ONLY as on others days it’s not possible to reply due to processing of applicants MRP applications. For information regarding passport application, this file contains all information and in case of any confusion or missing information regarding particular case, request shall be entertained on email only.*

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Re: MR Passport - Canberra Australia - Share your experience please

why do you want travel to canberra and apply. We usually apply by mail and post a prepaid envelope with documents as well so they dont have excuse to delay. now you can not get passport and my kids got nicop. we followed their instructions on their website and posted.

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Re: MR Passport - Canberra Australia - Share your experience please

For machine readable passport, you need to visit the HC physically.

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Re: MR Passport - Canberra Australia - Share your experience please

MRP requires fingerprints and digital photo @ the mission.....so physical presence is necessary for new Pak passport.

The manual ones will no longer be valid after Nov 2015.......as per ICAO regulations

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Re: MR Passport - Canberra Australia - Share your experience please

Can I ask...is there any advantage to holding a Pakistani passport? I hold both an Australian passport (born here) and a British passport too but I never bothered to get a Pakisani one as I have a nadra card. I always travel to Pakistan on my Australian passport and have never incurred any disadvantage. Also, if I don't have a Pakistani passport (but I do hold a nadra card), does this mean I am not a Pakistani citizen? Is there a reason why people choose to hold both passports simultaneously?

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Re: MR Passport - Canberra Australia - Share your experience please

Not all people hold dual nationality, so for them they require the Pakistani passport(s).

NADRA Card holders are Pakistani nationals just like any other Pak citizens. It's perfectly fine to travel on foreign passport + NADRA NICOP to Pak, its better actually. I do the same.