Pakistani embassies and consulates in the UAE and several other countries have restored passport services as of Tuesday, ending a suspension that had affected thousands of overseas Pakistanis.

The disruption was caused by a system-wide technical fault at the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGI&P) headquarters in Islamabad, which had forced missions abroad to halt passport processing since April 29.

Pakistan’s embassy and consulate in the UAE confirmed the resumption through official notifications, stating, “Passport services at the Consulate General of Pakistan and the Embassy have been fully restored. All applicants may visit the consulate and the embassy for passport processing during the specified times.”

The technical glitch disrupted operations across the Gulf and other regions, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait.

In the UAE, missions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi process between 800 and 1,000 applications daily, and the suspension caused significant inconvenience for residents needing passport renewals for travel, employment, and visa requirements.

Officials and IT teams at the DGI&P headquarters had been working to resolve the issue since late April.