EC Directs Review Process For Expatriate NID Applications

The Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh has announced that expatriates’ National ID (NID) applications cannot be canceled due to document deficiencies without a hearing. If there are missing documents, the EC has mandated that expatriates must be given a chance for a hearing, and they are encouraged to contact relatives to gather the necessary paperwork.

EC officials stated that it is often not possible for expatriates to submit all required documents. As a result, field officials previously canceled their applications without following the proper guidelines, causing significant inconvenience, time loss, and financial waste for the applicants. In response to many complaints, the EC has decided to simplify services for expatriates.

Recently, the Director-General of the National Identity Registration Wing, Md. Mahbub Alam Talukder, sent this directive to field officers. The instructions emphasize the importance of providing high-quality service to expatriates. If documents are missing from their applications, those applications cannot be canceled without a hearing. Officials are advised to reach out to relatives to help collect the necessary documentation.

EC Secretary Shafiul Azim noted that all measures are being taken to facilitate the NID services. The expatriate voter registration is currently active in seven countries, with plans to gradually expand services, including soon in Canada and Australia, and recently in Buckingham after London in the UK.

Currently, the registration process for expatriate Bangladeshis has commenced in the United Arab Emirates, the UK, Italy, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia. Smart card distribution has already begun in the UAE, Italy, Kuwait, Qatar, the UK, and Malaysia. Future plans include rolling out NID services in Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Singapore, Lebanon, Libya, Australia, and the Maldives.

Following directives from the Prime Minister's Office, the EC, led by KM Nurul Huda, initiated the provision of NIDs for expatriates in 2019. Online voter registration for expatriates in the UK was launched on February 12, 2020. The process had started earlier in the UAE on November 18, 2019, and online applications were opened for Bangladeshis in Malaysia on November 5, 2019. The plan was to verify these applications through the respective upazilas and issue NIDs via embassies in the relevant countries. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted these plans.

Under the leadership of Kazi Habibul Awal, the recently resigned commission has revitalized this initiative, starting the process anew rather than addressing previous applications.