Pakistan Extends Blue Passport Privileges to Former Lawmakers

Pakistan's Senate has passed a bill allowing former members of parliament to keep their official blue passports for life, even if they did not complete their terms. The move widens access to travel privileges that are unavailable to ordinary Pakistani passport holders, who must obtain visas for nearly all international travel.

Key facts

• The bill covers former members of the Senate and the National Assembly, Pakistan's lower house, as well as their spouses
• Eligibility applies even if a lawmaker served for only a short time
• A separate proposal covering lawmakers' children up to 28 years old was withdrawn after criticism
• Pakistani media reported around 70,000 blue passports issued, against roughly 25,000 needed for official travel
• As of July 2026, blue passport holders had visa-free access to 55 countries

What is changing?

Under earlier provisions, former parliamentarians and their spouses already received passport privileges, but only those who had completed a full term. The new bill extends eligibility to lawmakers who left office before finishing their terms.

A further bill would have made dependent children of former lawmakers eligible, including "children" up to 28 years old. That proposal was withdrawn following strong criticism.

How does this compare with ordinary passports?

In the July 2026 Henley Passport Index, Pakistan's passport was ranked the fourth-worst in the world, behind only Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. Pakistani travellers must obtain a visa for nearly all international travel and often report intense scrutiny, lengthy processing times and higher rejection rates at embassies.

Gallup Pakistan reported in 2024 that Pakistani applicants faced a 52 percent visa rejection rate for the Schengen Area, a travel zone covering 29 European countries. Pakistanis also spent 5.3 million pounds on rejected U.K. visa applications in 2023.

Which visa-free deals do blue passport holders get?

Pakistan signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia in September 2026 abolishing visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, official and special passports, following a Joint Defense Agreement between the two states. Ordinary passport holders were not included. On 14 October, Pakistan signed a similar agreement with Oman exempting diplomatic, special, service and official passport holders from visa requirements.

As of July 2026, blue passport holders enjoyed visa-free access to 55 countries, including 22 European countries, 14 of them within the Schengen Area.

What this means for travellers

Ordinary Pakistani passport holders continue to need visas for almost all destinations, and should expect embassy scrutiny and possible delays. Pakistani businesspeople have reported visa rejections preventing them from attending trade fairs, including Heimtextil in Frankfurt in 2023, with one industry representative warning of roughly $5 billion in potential lost orders.

Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry described the large number of blue passport holders as a major impediment to signing visa abolition agreements with other countries.