National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) has digitized passport fee collections through Raast Person-to-Merchant (P2M) QR, allowing citizens to pay passport fees digitally through the mobile applications of participating banks. The initiative enables passport applicants to scan a Raast QR code at designated passport offices and complete their payments without relying on cash. According to the announcement, the solution has been implemented across Executive Passport Offices and Passport Processing Counters, providing citizens with a digital payment option during the passport application process. The development forms part of NBP’s broader efforts to expand digital payment acceptance and supports the government’s wider push toward a cashless economy.
The implementation brings government-related fee collection into Pakistan’s growing interoperable digital payments infrastructure. Citizens can use the mobile banking application or digital wallet of a participating Raast-enabled financial institution to scan the QR code, confirm the required amount and complete the transaction. NBP has been working to expand its Raast P2M capabilities as part of its digital payments strategy, with the bank previously reporting significant growth in merchant onboarding and transaction activity. The passport fee initiative extends this infrastructure beyond conventional commercial transactions and into public-sector collections, giving citizens another way to complete payments associated with government services.
The initiative was also reviewed during a visit by Ch. Muhammad Ali Randhawa, Director General Immigration & Passports, and his team to NBP’s head office in Karachi. The delegation met with senior NBP officials, including Abdul Wahid Sethi, SEVP and Group Chief/CFO of the Financial Control Group; Faisal Topra, SEVP and Group Chief of the Operations Group; and Adnan Nasir, CDO and Group Chief of the Digital Banking Group. Discussions focused on the performance of the Raast-based cashless passport fee payment solution and opportunities to expand digital payment options for passport-related services. The two sides also explored a PSID-based alternative payment mechanism that could provide another channel for passport fee collection and help maintain continuity of digital payments.
The move is significant for the digitization of government collections because passport fees represent a recurring payment associated with a widely used public service. Moving these transactions to QR-based payments can reduce dependence on physical cash at passport offices while giving applicants a more direct way to complete payments through financial applications they already use. NBP has described the initiative as part of its support for the government’s digital payments and cashless economy agenda, while the Directorate General Immigration & Passports has welcomed the collaboration. The development also demonstrates how Raast’s P2M infrastructure can be applied to government-related payments alongside its broader use across merchants and businesses.
NBP’s passport fee initiative comes as the bank continues expanding its role in Pakistan’s digital payments ecosystem. Its Raast P2M operations have already been used to onboard tens of thousands of merchants and process digital transactions across different sectors. The passport fee rollout adds another use case by connecting the national instant payment infrastructure with a government service and allowing citizens to make payments through participating banks and digital wallets. As more government departments and public-facing services adopt interoperable digital payment channels, initiatives such as the NBP passport fee solution could contribute to reducing cash-based transactions and increasing the use of formal digital payment methods across Pakistan.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
