Track a Pakistani Passport With One SMS, and What the Statuses Actually Mean
Text your 11 digit token number to 9988 and the status comes back. Where the token is, what each stage means, and tracking from abroad.
You applied, you were given a slip with a number on it, and now you are refreshing nothing in particular hoping the passport arrives before the flight.
The fastest way to check does not involve a website at all. Text your token number to 9988 and the status comes back by SMS.
The token number is the whole key
When you submit a passport application, the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports assigns a token number. It appears on screen at the time and it is printed on the receipt you were handed.
It is reported as eleven digits. Without it you cannot track anything, so if you have lost the slip, photograph it next time and treat finding it as the first job rather than trying to track without it.
It is not your CNIC and it is not your old passport number. It exists only for this application, and it stops meaning anything once the passport is issued.
Three ways to check
By SMS. Send the token number to 9988. This is the one to use. It needs no internet, no login and no data connection, which matters when you are checking from somewhere with poor coverage.
On the DGIP website. The official domain is dgip.gov.pk. Tracking there generally asks for more than the SMS route: the token number, your CNIC, and your date of birth exactly as it appears on the application.
Through the DGIP app. There is an official application on the Play Store which handles applying and tracking, using the same tracking ID.
Being straight about what we could confirm: dgip.gov.pk answered when we requested it. The online passport portal linked from DGIP's own homepage refused our request, so we have not described its tracking screen rather than guess at what it looks like now.
Only DGIP knows anything
Search for passport tracking and you will find a crowd of sites offering to check your status, several of them built to look official.
None of them holds passport data. At best they forward you to DGIP with extra steps and advertising. At worst you have handed a token number, a CNIC and a date of birth to a stranger, which together are enough to be useful to somebody committing identity fraud.
The test is the domain. Pakistani government services sit on gov.pk. A .pk or .com address with official looking colours is somebody's website.
This is the same pattern we found when checking which SIMs are registered on a CNIC, where the results are dominated by sites harvesting the identity number you type in while you worry about your identity.
What the statuses actually mean
The status text is terse and people read too much into it. Broadly, an application moves through submission, verification, printing and dispatch.
The stage that takes longest and worries people most is verification, because that is where the application sits with other departments rather than with the passport office. Nothing you do speeds it up, and it being slow is not a sign anything is wrong.
Printing and dispatch are usually quick once reached. If your status has moved to printed, the remaining wait is logistics rather than decision making.
| Stage | What is happening | Can you speed it up |
|---|---|---|
| Submitted | The application is logged and the token is live | No, and nothing is wrong |
| Under verification | Sitting with other departments, not the passport office | No. This is the slow stage |
| Printing | The booklet is being produced | No, but it is nearly over |
| Dispatched or ready | On its way, or waiting at the office | Collect it, or wait for delivery |
How long it should take
Processing time depends on the category you paid for rather than on luck. Normal, urgent and fast track are different products with different fees and different quoted timelines, and the office will have told you which you bought.
Our guides to the types of Pakistani passport and how to apply cover the categories and what each costs, and the passport fee calculator works out the figure for your combination of pages, validity and urgency.
Two practical points. Fast track buys a faster queue, not a faster verification, so an application held for external checks can still take longer than the headline number. And the clock starts at submission, not at the day you booked the appointment.
Tracking from outside Pakistan
A lot of the people searching for this are not in Pakistan. Applications made through an embassy or consulate, including from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, work the same way but with a longer tail.
The token number still tracks the application. What changes is the dispatch leg, because the finished passport travels back to the mission you applied through before it reaches you, and that step is invisible in the status text.
If it has been considerably longer than quoted, raise it with the mission you applied at rather than with a passport office in Pakistan. They hold the file and they can see what a phone call to Islamabad cannot.
When it has been too long
- Check the status first. Most delays are explained by the stage the application is sitting at.
- If it has not moved for weeks, contact the office you applied at rather than any office.
- Take the token number and your original CNIC, or have both to hand if you are calling.
- If you applied abroad, go through that mission.
Common causes worth knowing before you assume the worst: a mismatch between your CNIC record and your application, a name spelled differently across documents, dues or a record flagged during verification, or simply a backlog at a busy office in peak season.
If the mismatch is in your NADRA record rather than the application, fix that first, because the passport cannot be issued against a record that disagrees with itself. Our guide to applying for or correcting a CNIC covers that side.
Questions readers are asking
How do I track my Pakistani passport by token number?
Text the token number to 9988 and the status comes back by SMS. It is the fastest route and needs no internet connection.
Where do I find my token number?
It appears on screen when you submit the application and is printed on the receipt you are given. It is reported as eleven digits and it is specific to that one application.
Can I track without a token number?
Not usefully. The website route also asks for your CNIC and date of birth, but the token is the identifier the system works from. If you have lost the receipt, contact the office you applied at.
What is the official passport tracking website?
DGIP, at dgip.gov.pk. Anything not on a gov.pk domain is a third party site with no passport data of its own.
How do I track a passport if I applied from Saudi Arabia?
The same token number tracks it. The difference is the final leg, because the passport returns to the mission you applied through, so raise any delay with that embassy or consulate.
Does fast track really speed things up?
It buys a faster queue rather than faster verification. If an application is held for external checks, the fast track fee does not shorten that part.
Work out your own figure
Applying for someone else, or renewing? Check the fee for the exact type, pages and speed you need.
Passport Fee Calculator →About the author
Author
Fajr Riaz is a well-talented author at Pakera.pk with expertise in creative content creation/writing and storytelling. Fajr's strength lies in creating engaging articles, detailed guides, and straight narratives that connect with readers and give meaningful insights. With her accurate attention to detail and passion for writing, Fajr has established herself as a pivotal pillar at Pakera and is invaluable.
