Bangladesh could request International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to extend the November 24 deadline for having machine-readable passports, Director General of the Department of Immigration and Passports NM Zeaul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
He said it might not be possible to provide MRPs for all Bangladeshi expatriates before the deadline as some were planning to return to Bangladesh before that date using their hand-written passports.”
The ICAO has set the November 24 deadline, which means none will be allowed to travel abroad without MRPs after that date. The deadline makes MRPs mandatory for all nationals, including Bangladeshis.
“Some expats do not understand the importance of getting MRPs and also the consequences of not having that even though we took initiatives to inform all Bangladeshi expats that having MRPs is a must,” Zeaul said.
The government launched the MRP project on April 1, 2010. To date, the Department of Immigration and Passports has printed and delivered 11.2 million MRPs to Bangladeshis. Till April, the number was 10.5 millions.
Zeaul reiterated the importance of collecting MRPs for Bangladeshi expats who are still using hand-written passports, and called on all to get MRPs before the deadline.
According to the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, 2 million Bangladeshi expatriates are still using hand-written passports.
