Bangladeshi passport
The passport of Bangladesh is an ICAO compliant, machine readable and biometric e-passport issued for the purpose of travel to foreign countries by the passport holder. Bangladesh is the first country in South Asia to issue e-passports for all eligible citizens. The passport booklet is manufactured, printed and issued by the Department of Immigration and Passports of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This electronic microprocessor chip embedded e-passport has forty-one different security features, including holographic images embossed in thin film laminate, which change colour under light and appear to move. Demographic and biometric information of the e-passport holder, such as the fingerprints of all ten fingers, iris scan, color photograph of the face and digital signature are stored on the chip in the e-passport. Depending on the age of the applicant, the e-passport is valid for either five years or ten years and it is distributed by the Government of The People's Republic of Bangladesh, or by any of its overseas diplomatic missions, to eligible Bangladeshi nationals who are citizens by birth, by descent or through naturalization.
The Government of Bangladesh issues three different types of passports. These are Diplomatic passports with a red cover; Official passports with a blue cover; and regular or ordinary passports with a green cover. The cover of the passport is made of a tear proof textile material that is chemical, sweat, damp and heat resistant. Diplomatic passports are only issued to diplomats of Bangladesh. Official passports are only issued to Bangladesh government employees, government officials and envoys. Regular or ordinary passports are issued to the rest of the citizens of Bangladesh. The entire passport is made of environment-friendly materials. It is aesthetically designed with all the blank visa pages of the passport covered in images of important historical landmarks and buildings of Bangladesh, as well as popular Bangladeshi tourist attractions, with their names written in both Bengali and English. Page numbers of the passport are also bilingual – written both in Bengali and in English.
History
After the Bangladesh Liberation War, Act Number 9 of 1973 which was signed into law by the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, on 8 February 1973, lead to the creation and issuing of the first passport of newly independent Bangladesh. These passport booklets were traditional, handwritten or manual, passports and were compliant with the relevant international laws and regulations in force at the time. Subsequently, additional laws were enacted in the years that followed to improve the passport application process; enforce the ineligibility to hold multiple valid Bangladeshi passports; citizenship requirement for passport; etc.Prior to the e-passport and the machine-readable passport, the Department of Immigration & Passports of the Government of Bangladesh used to issue traditional handwritten or manual passports. In 2010, the Government of Bangladesh announced a plan to replace over 6.6 million handwritten passports with new biometric machine-readable passports. Following the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Bangladesh government started issuing machine-readable passports and machine-readable visas in April 2010. However, all traditional handwritten passports were honored as bona fide Bangladesh government issued travel documents until their expiration date. All traditional handwritten passports were successfully withdrawn from circulation before ICAO's international deadline of November 2015.
In 2016, the Government of Bangladesh announced its plans to issue e-passports, which the then Home Minister hoped would ease immigration, travel and visa procedures for Bangladesh passport holders. The new Bangladeshi e-passport is provided in collaboration with a German company along with fifty e-gates at all major ports of entry. Machine-readable passports are being phased out gradually. E-passports will completely replace all machine-readable passports. However, all machine-readable passports are bona fide and valid travel documents until the expiry date written in them.
Bangladesh has taken another significant step in its digital transformation with the much-anticipated launch of electronic passports or e-passports. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the distribution of e-passports at an event in the capital's Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on Wednesday, 22 January 2020.
Types of passports
The Government of Bangladesh issues three different types of passports. These are Diplomatic, Official and regular or ordinary passports.- Ordinary passport is issued to ordinary regular citizens of Bangladesh for international travel, such as for vacation, study, business trips, etc.
- Official passport is issued to Bangladesh government employees, government officials and individuals representing the Bangladeshi government on official business.
- Diplomatic passport is issued to Bangladeshi diplomats, top ranking government officials and diplomatic couriers.
Passport fees
E-passport fees in Bangladeshi taka, excluding tax, are as follows:Emergency delivery is only available for passport reissue applicants. 15% VAT is applicable on all fees. Unlike traditional handwritten or manual passports, e-passports and machine-readable passports are not renewed. Instead, the old passport is cancelled and a new passport is issued in its place. This procedure is called "reissue" by the Department of Immigration and Passports.
Machine Readable Passport fees in Bangladeshi taka, excluding tax, are as follows:
| Type of application | Delivery Type | Fee |
| New application or relinquished hand written passport | Express | Tk 6,000 |
| New application or relinquished hand written passport | Regular | Tk 3,000 |
| New application or relinquished hand written passport | NOC certificate holder | Tk 3,000 |
| New application or relinquished hand written passport | GO certificate holders seeking treatment, Hajj or pilgrimage | Tk 3,000 |
| New application or relinquished hand written passport | GO certificate holders for official purpose | Free |
| Passport renewal | Express | Tk 6,000 |
| Passport renewal | Regular | Tk 3,000 |
15% VAT is applicable on all fees. For the renewal of an expired passport, an annual fine of Tk 345 is applicable for each year after expiry. Passport fees can be paid in cash at any of the following banks in Bangladesh:
The fees can be paid online as well, using a credit card, debit card or a mobile phone. Bangladeshi mobile financial services such as bKash or DBBL Nexus can also be used to make payments for passport fees, especially e-passport fees.
Physical appearance
Bangladeshi passport covers are dark green, with the Seal of the Government of Bangladesh emblazoned in golden color in the centre of the front cover. The word "পাসপোর্ট" and "Passport" are inscribed above the Seal. Below the Seal "গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ" ; "People's Republic of Bangladesh" ; and the international e-passport symbol are inscribed. The standard Bangladesh passport contains 48 pages, however frequent travellers can opt for a passport containing 64 pages.Passport note
The inside cover contains the date and place of issuance of the passport as well as the declaration of the President, addressing the authorities of all other states, identifying the bearer as a citizen of the People's Republic of Bangladesh and requesting that he or she be allowed to pass and be treated as per international norms. The note inside of the Bangladeshi passports states:In Bengali :
These are to request on behalf of the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without delay for hindrance and in case of need to afford him/her every lawful assistance and protection.
Languages
The text of Bangladeshi passports is printed in both Bangla and English. However, the old hand written passports were written in Bangla, English & French language.Passport holder identity
Information about the passport holder are spread in bio page and in page one of Bangladesh e-passport. The field names are written in Bengali and English, with the field values is written in English only. Information regarding faith or occupation is not printed.The inside cover of a Bangladeshi e-passport has an embossed image of the National Martyrs Mausoleum, with Amar Shonar Bangla, the national anthem of Bangladesh, written in Bengali.
The pre-first page is a chip enabled plastic card contains the President's declaration, in Bengali and English, and states that the passport is valid for all the countries in the world except Israel.
The back of the pre-first page is the main data page. It contains all information printed. The information printed includes:
- Photo of bearer
- Passport type
- Country code
- Passport no.
- Surname
- Given Name
- Nationality
- Personal no.
- Date of birth
- Previous passport no.
- Sex
- Place of birth
- Date of issue
- Issuing authority
- Date of expiry
- Holder's signature
The first page contains some more information
- Father's name
- Mother's name
- Spouse's name
- Permanent address
- Emergency contact
- * Name
- * Relationship
- * Address
- * Telephone no.
The inside back of the passport contains an embossed image of the Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban, National Parliament of Bangladesh, with a quotation of Louis I Kahn, the architect of the complex, in English.