Dhaka Plans NID Cards for Bangladeshi Expatriates

All Bangladeshi expatriates living abroad would eventually be able to vote in general elections from abroad, reports UNB.

This is because the country's independent election commission plans to issue National Identity (NID) cards to Bangladeshi expatriates in at least 40 countries over the next five years. Initially, NID services will soon be rolled out in five-six countries — Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and the United Kingdom, a senior official said.

"We'll be going to the 40 largest host countries of expatriates in phases in the next five years. We'll initially launch NID services in 5-6 countries," said Brig Gen Saidul Islam, Director General of the EC National Identity Registration Wing.

In order to apply for a NID card, expatriates will need to attach six documents with the application form — copies of the passport and dual citizenship certificate or a letter of approval from the Bangladesh Home Ministry are the most relevant requirements.

In addition to this, a copy of the passport of another Bangladeshi expatriate identifying the applicant as a Bangladeshi, a blood relationship declaration living in Bangladesh with the name, mobile number and a copy of the NID card will be required.

Also needed are a declaration from the applicant that they are not registered in electoral rolls anywhere in Bangladesh, and a certificate from the local Bangladeshi mission.

During the pre-Covid period, the EC had started the online registration of Bangladeshi expatriates in four countries -- Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the UK -- after CEC KM Nurul Huda and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed jointly inaugurated the overseas voter registration programme in Malaysia last November.

A total of 738 expatriates from the four countries have registered for NID cards prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Of these, 530 online applications came from the UAE, 121 from the United Kingdom, 48 from Malaysia and 39 from Saudi Arabia.

The Commission sent applications to the respective electoral offices of the Upazila or Ttana to complete the process of verification of the expatriates. However, the EC did not send the technical teams to these four countries to collect biometrics from the applicants due to the pandemic.

Now, the EC is ready to send its technical teams to the four countries and also Kuwait to collect biometrics for rendering the NID services there to the expatriates, said the head of the NID Registration Wing. "The Commission will soon decide if fees are to be charged for the NID services abroad. If yes, the Commission will also fix its rate."

Saidul Islam, however, said that when the EC went to four countries to open online portals to provide NID services there, the expatriates asked them to charge for the maintenance of better services.

The proposal for the implementation of NID services in the 40 countries has also been integrated into the Development Project of the IDEA-II Identification Framework for Enhancing Access to Services (IDEA) as the length of the ongoing IDEA project will end next December, an EC official said.

In 2008, the Election Commission headed by ATM Shamsul Huda prepared the electoral rolls with photographs and provided laminated NID cards to the voters. In 2016, the EC headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad started providing smart NID cards to the voters. Now 137 agencies are availing the services from the NID database to ascertain one's identity.