Married women can now register with father’s name under new passport policy

LAHORE: The Government of Pakistan has implemented a new passport policy, which permits women to choose between keeping their father’s name on their passports or registering their father’s name after getting married.

The new policy represents a fundamental change in how the country handles official identification documents. The landmark decision follows a directive from the Lahore High Court, which ordered authorities to amend passport rules so that women can retain their father’s name regardless of marital status.

High Court Justice Asif Hafeez established the requirement that passport rules must follow current gender equality standards. He instructed federal departments to finish their document changes and technology improvements within a specific deadline.

The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports DGIP will work with the National Database and Registration Authority NADRA to implement system updates for passport issuance and renewal according to the new policy.

Federal ministers Mohsin Naqvi and Azam Nazeer Tarar have received responsibility for implementing software and procedural changes needed to deliver the reforms at passport offices throughout the country.

The decision will help women who need to travel internationally because it will reduce bureaucratic obstacles they face during visa processing and legal matters in foreign countries, which require consistent identity documentation.

The new reform enables Pakistani women who faced challenges because of passport rules that mandated their husbands’ names to maintain their individual identity through official documents.