Pakistani Machine Readable Passports are being made now and the Pakistan Embassy wants ppl to come to either NY or LA to get theirs made…
Only 2 locations for the whole of US…
Now cost for a passport has taken a new meaning…travel cost (airplane ticket or what not) plus hotel plus food…
Duh…
Due to Biometric data collection you have to go in person, but they should have made arrangments at other locations as well:bummer:
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
So what do you need to get one?
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
Are they serious? That’s unbelievable. Don’t they have consulates in other cities where they could collect that data?
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
^ Well they have consulates in Chicago and Houston I believe. But the guy at NY told me that only 2 are processing these. And if you want regular passport it will only be good for 1 year. Plus if you have NICOP/CNIC then you have to get the MRP made…
Duh…
The added pressure is that a ticker running on the top of the home page says “Get your MRP made now before international requirements make it mandatory…” or something to that effect…
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
So my Pak passport has expired. I haven't bothered to renew it. Now that I am planning to go to Pakistan, I am thinking about doing it.
Problem is, I have this ancient National ID card. I left the country before the moved to the newer computarized ones. Will that work? If not what do I need to do to get this thing done? Some people are suggesting, apply for a Pakistani visa, go there, get the Nat. ID card renewed and then get a NICOP rather than a Passport.
Suggestions?
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
You can apply for NICOP in USA but will take 4 to 6 months to reach u. You can only apply for NICOP in Pakistan if u are planning to stay there for more than 20 days because it takes 17 days to be ready & only u or ur blood relative (father or brother can collect it if not u). If you have NICOP u dont need PK visa to enter Pakistan neither do u need PK passport. You can travel on ur US passport & NICOP & u will be let in Pakistan.
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
If you have a US or Canadian Passport, then yes don't bother with the getting a passport here. If you a valid address in Pakistan then you can get your CNIC or NICOP made there with your old ID card.
The embassy here will make you a 1 year non renewable passport of the old kind with your old ID card and tell you to get the NICOP made.
If your stay in Pakistan is long enough (30-40) days and you start the CNIC/NICOP process immediately after arriving then you should be able to get your MRP passport also made there as well. However you won't need it with NICOP and foreign passport.
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
So if I apply for an NICOP with my old ancient ID card from here in the US, I will get it in 4-6 months?
I can live with that.
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
^ It depends...I got mine much earlier ...I think in 2 months...
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
This is insane. I am just not going to get a MRP I guess. I have CNIC but not NICOP. This whole thing is a complete confusion. If you have NICOP, you don't need a passport to travel and the passport requires biometric stuff but NICOP doesn't. Doesn't this defeat the purpose? Can someone explain this to me?
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
Asif, I think in the future it will be required that all passports be biometric. Now if you have an American/UK/Canadaian passport, you can show that along with your NICOP and you don't need a Pakistani Passport. People who ONLY have Pakistani nationality will need to get the biomatric passport if they want to travel outside of Pakistan.
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
Ok, here is the situation...
My U.S Citizenship interview letter should be coming anyday... I have a greecard right now. My Pakistani passport expired in April this year. Here are my questions...
1) I am going to need my Paki passport for my Citizenship interview. I think I should just apply for the manual passport for right now due the urgency of the issue. Agreed?
2) Can I even get a manual passport given that I have CNIC (and not the old Id card)?
3) Will I be able to travel to PAkistan with the manual passport this summer and/or in December of this year? When will the use of MRP become mandatory?
4) I have CNIC which I got from Pakistan during one of my visits in past few years. Do I really need NICOP? Why do I need one say if I do get an MRP?
5) The Pakistani Embassy website states that it is mandatory for every Pakistani to get NICOP. How do they enforce that? No one asked me to show one when I visited Pakistan in December '06.
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
^ They inforce it by way of limiting the validity of a passport to 1 year.
If you want manual passport it will be only good for that duration. It will be good for travel but you will need to make sure that it has 6 month or more validity when you are buying tickets....that's the catch...
Call the NY consulate and hit the option for MRP from the main menu.(yeah some one actually picks up and speaks to you in a humane way these days..!!)
Ask them your specific question and you should know from the horses mouth on what to do.
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
Is it mandatory to get the MRP passport? my old passport is still valid for 3 more years and I dont really wanna go through this hassle?
also, just to let you guys know, I applied for my NICOP online at NADRA's website and asked for home delievry in US which was $7 more and I got my NICOP made and delievered at my door in 15 days after applying online. I think that was a pretty quick service.
Thanks,
Sanna
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
^ No. If your passport is valid then you don't have to get it changed to MRP. Just wait the period.
Call the embassy to confirm though. The marquee running on the top of their front page says "Get your MRP made before ICA makes it mandatory"...
Please send the link for the NADRA NICOP online application. Thanks
and good to know that you had a positive experience with it!
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
Thanks 
here is a link to NADRA online:
http://www.nadra.gov.pk/site/439/default.aspx
Thanks,
Sanna
Re: MRP in the US from Pakistan Embassy
I just spoke to a lady in Pakistan Consulate @ Houston since I am up for my passport renewal.
They said, they won't do machine readables but they would renew and provide the "manual" passports valid for 5 years if I have NICOP or CNIC. I do have CNIC so I am going to go ahead and get the manual passport. The hell with machine readables!!!. I will get the machine readable one when I go to Pakistan or when I visit New York or LA--you have to go visit in person for one of those for biometrics and stuff.