The national identity card (NID) is an essential document of Bangladeshi citizenship. Currently, a Bangladeshi citizen needs their NID card to avail 22 services.
However, there are situations when someone’s NID card can be revoked. According to the National Identity Registration Division, if someone applies for registration in the voter list more than once, intentionally or unintentionally, it will be revoked.
Meanwhile, according to Section 11 of the National Identity Card Registration Act-2023, Section 3 of 2010: "If the citizenship of a citizen is terminated, his identity card shall be deemed to be cancelled and the national identification number given in the said national identity card shall not be used in the national identity card issued in favor of any other citizen."
An analysis of this section shows that under Section 14 of the Citizenship Act-2009, if an adult person or a married woman declares to renounce the citizenship of Bangladesh in a sane citizen affidavit and the government registers it accordingly, then the citizenship of that person will be terminated. According to Section 14(2), the citizenship of his minor children will also be terminated.
Meanwhile, under Section 15(1) of the Termination of Citizenship, if the citizenship of a person is terminated by a government order, the citizenship acquired through registration or naturalization will be terminated.
Section 15 of the Citizenship Act states that if a citizen has shown disloyalty or dissatisfaction with the sovereignty of Bangladesh or the Constitution of Bangladesh in any act, word, or conduct, or if he is convicted of committing any crime against the state in court, or if he has established business or contact with the enemy during a war in Bangladesh, which is aiding the enemy in the war, his citizenship will be terminated.
In addition, if he is sentenced to more than two years of imprisonment within five years of registration, or if he stays outside the country for ten or more consecutive years, the citizenship acquired through registration will be terminated in the prescribed manner.
Also, if a person dies, his NID is revoked or deactivated.
If a person changes his name, address, or other information, the old NID is canceled and a new NID is created.
If the NID is lost or damaged, an application must be made to get a new NID. If the NID is invalid or unusable for any reason, such as incorrect or fake information on the card, it can be canceled or deactivated.
If someone fakes or uses their NID fraudulently, their NID may be revoked.
What happens if an NID is revoked?
Although there is no precedent for canceling NIDs in general, the EC has revoked the NIDs of more than fifty important figures, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 10 members of her family, on charges of money laundering and crimes against humanity during the July-August movement.
Recently, on the orders of the court, the bank accounts of several political figures including NCP leader Gazi Salauddin Tanvir have been frozen, and their NIDs have been blocked.
According to EC sources, if the NID is blocked, one does not lose citizenship. His name remains on the list. However, he is deprived of all government and private services related to NID.
Mohammad Ashraf Hossain, system manager of the National Identity Registration Division, said: "If the NID is blocked, the card cannot be used anymore. Even the blocked card cannot be misused because no information is visible in the system."
The services one would be deprived of include passport application and renewal, purchase and sale of immovable property, opening bank accounts, obtaining bank loans, obtaining income tax identification number, BO account opening, and voter identification for elections.
How to get back a cancelled NID
According to EC sources, if the NID is cancelled, the reason for cancellation must first be confirmed. If there is any error in the information, it must be corrected and then the application must be submitted again. If there is any legal problem, such as fraud or money laundering using this NID, a GD must be filed at the police station and a copy of the GD must be submitted. After that, the application must be submitted to the local EC office.
EC sources also said that one will have the opportunity to appeal against the NID cancellation order four times. The draft policy states that if an application is canceled by the upazila election officer, one must appeal to the senior district or district election officer. The application will be scrutinized and sorted by the additional district election officer or election officer. He will dispose of the appeal application within 60 days.
If the appeal application is not successful at the district level, another appeal can be filed at the regional election officer's office. In this case, an application must be filed within 45 days of the previous order. He will dispose of it within the next 60 days.
If the application is not successful at the regional office, an appeal can be filed with the Director General of the NID Division. In this case, an application must be filed within 45 days of the previous order. The appeal will be settled within 60 days of the application. If the application is not successful there, an appeal can be filed with the EC as a last resort. Like before, the application must be filed within 45 days. After verification, document presentation, and hearing by the committee formed by the Election Commission, the commission will issue an order within 60 days. In this case, the order of the commission will be final.
ASM Humayun Kabir, director general of the National Identity Card Registration Division of the Election Commission, told the Dhaka Tribune that if someone's NID is canceled, it will come to him at the very end. He also confirmed that a person without the NID will still have citizenship, but he will be deprived of various government and private services.
