Bangladeshi expatriates living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are set to get their National Identity Cards (NID) on Monday.
Some three years after the initiative, Bangladeshi expatriates in the UAE are now able to access NID services for the very first time. At the same time, the voter registration process will also start.
Election Commissioner Ahsan Habib Khan will officially inaugurate both processes in the presence of the Bangladesh ambassador and consul general in UAE.
In this regard, Election Commissioner Ahsan Habib Khan on Saturday said the initiative would pave the way for new opportunities in NID registration beyond the borders of Bangladesh.
Using this experience, this step will be expanded to various European countries including the Middle East, he added.
“Expatriate Bangladeshis want to send remittances through legal channels. As they do not have NIDs, many send money illegally to the country through hundi. Now after getting the NID, they will be able to send the remittance through a legitimate route,” the election commissioner said.
He further expressed hope that this step would help increase Bangladesh's reserves.
Plans to launch service in 15 countries within a year
The government has plans to introduce the services in 15 countries where Bangladeshi expatriates are living.
In this regard, Election Commission Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath said: “After the successful pilot work in the UAE, efforts will be made to start NID services for expatriate Bangladeshis in at least 15 countries within the next year.”
Some 15 years ago, demands were made for granting voting rights and issuing National ID (NID) cards to Bangladeshi expatriates residing in various countries.
The then Election Commission under KM Nurul Huda started the online registration process in Malaysia in November 2019 after overcoming various complications regarding the voter registration of expatriate Bangladeshis.
The initiative was then put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The current commission led by Kazi Habibul Awal once again took the initiative to speed up the work.
Over 5,000 citizens have applied for NID cards in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE, the United Kingdom, and Maldives.
