Consulate General Of Pakistan, Houston — Local services in Jersey Village

I have taken three stars off, and here’s why…

This review is about the outdated and frustrating process of passport renewal for overseas Pakistanis. I’m sharing my experience so that the higher authorities can see the gaps, make improvements, and so others who’ve faced similar challenges can relate.

Broken online fingerprint submission system I had to travel several hundred miles to the consulate just to submit my fingerprints — something that could have been done in minutes through the DGIP portal. My online application was deferred three times due to failed fingerprint verification, and eventually cancelled, forcing me to appear in person.

The scanned fingerprint submission system on the portal is severely flawed. It rejects most submissions automatically, and out of thousands of applicants, only a lucky few manage to get theirs accepted. NADRA really needs to fix this — either by upgrading the portal or replacing the process entirely with the ID card-style online scanner using a live camera, which works far better.

Unfair handling of “other online service charges” When I applied online, I paid my passport renewal fee in USD after conversion ($73). The fee displayed was in PKR (21,000), which already doesn’t make sense for overseas Pakistanis.

When my application was rejected, DGIP HQ Islamabad informed me that my passport fee (Rs. 6,700) could be reused at the consulate. However, the rest (~Rs. 14,000), listed as “other online service charges” for delivery, was declared non-refundable and non-adjustable. This means a huge chunk of money simply vanished. Who benefits from these millions of rupees collected this way?

If NADRA cannot refund these charges, they should at least allow them to be applied toward the new application. Instead, I had to pay the difference again — around $78 more — to get a normal passport. Considering the money, time, and effort it took to travel to the consulate, this was deeply unfair for something as basic as a passport.

Poor communication and lack of support While the consulate website is designed well, its functionality is entirely dependent on Islamabad. No one answers phone calls, there is no live chat facility, and even the inquiry form on the website doesn’t work. There seems to be no coordination between the website’s listed services and the actual consulate operations.

I’m writing this not just for myself, but for every overseas Pakistani who has faced these challenges yet stayed silent. My hope is that this reaches NADRA’s directors or relevant officials and inspires urgent reform. We love our country deeply, and no matter the struggles, we carry it in our hearts. But these systems must be fixed to better serve the hardworking overseas community.

Inshallah, I hope for a positive change and...

The entire system is flawed, from the customer service to the processing time of the application. Unless you know someone at the embassy, you are not getting your application processed anytime soon. Submitted for a new passport in Sept, it been 16 weeks and counting, we finally got an update not from the embassy but through other departments in Pakistan about our application.

Whenever you call, either their voicemail is full, or at 9:30am it says the embassy is closed on a Tuesday morning.

The tracking number that they provide to passport applicants unfortunately does not work. May be its just me. You dont get any email updates about your application, you have to keep on calling in order to find out where your application is at.

For someone submitting for a brand new passport. The security verification is done through a separate department (police). They call your relatives, who you name on the reference form. They ask your references to submit your documents to them again via WhatsApp. Sometimes they even ask for additional documents, which are unnecessary. Please be careful of what you provide, as there are scams going around.

You can also submit your application through the dgip.gov website. You will get an online tracking number that actually works. You would have to go to consulate for fingerprints and other document submission.

If a significant time has passed for your application without getting an update, like 6 weeks + there is a complaint system for oversees Pakistani on the dgip.gov website. This is the Wafaqi Mohtasib's secretariat service.

The embassy really needs to implement an AI or a bot system that tracks the application for the applicants, and answers any repetitive questions that the embassy is getting in order to speed up the process. Massive improvements need to be made at the embassy to get them up to speed with the...

I am feeling extremely frustrated due to the difficulty I have experienced in reaching your office by phone. When I have managed to connect, the staff has either put me on hold for extended periods or not responded at all. I applied for a family visa for myself and my two children to travel to see my husband. While my visa was approved, I was informed that additional documentation was needed for my children. Specifically, they requested a notarized letter granting me permission to travel with my own kids to Pakistan, as their father has unfortunately passed away. We were trying to arrange our first official meeting.

I submitted the required documents as requested, but have not received any updates. Following the instructions on the website, I called to emphasize the urgency of the matter, especially since I had a flight scheduled; however, I received little to no response. I have sent seven emails and made seven phone calls, with one call lasting over an hour and twenty minutes before I had to disconnect. Unfortunately, due to the lack of communication, I missed my flight and lost my money.

I am disappointed by this situation and urgently need permission to travel with my children, as they are my biological kids. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

UPDATE: After my review, I received the following comment, which I took into consideration. The consulate contacted me promptly and expedited the visa process for my children. I appreciate their efficiency in handling this matter; however, I am concerned that the review may have influenced the urgency of the response. Nonetheless, the consulate staff were very professional and courteous, and I have reinitiated the process with them. Thank you...