The government has ordered the restoration of the phrase "Valid for all countries of the world except Israel" on Bangladeshi passports while introducing a watermark commemorating the July Uprising.

The directive, issued by the home ministry on Sunday, comes nearly two months after Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed announced plans for the changes.

The order grants final approval for redesigning and rearranging images in the e-passport booklet.

Speaking at the Secretariat on May 24, Salahuddin had indicated that the passport watermark would be changed, saying: "The previous ‘fascist’ government used these for personal purposes. They will be changed. National landmarks and Bir Sreshtha heroes will be featured."

The ministry's order lists 38 design changes. Under item 20, pages 30 and 31 will carry a watermark depicting the 2024 student-led mass uprising.

The passport's data page will also again bear the phrase, "This passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel."

Bangladeshi passports once carried the wording: "This passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel, Taiwan and the Republic of South Africa."

Taiwan and South Africa were later removed from the restriction, while Israel remained.

In May 2021, under the Awami League government, the reference to Israel was also dropped, leaving the passport valid for all countries.

Then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the change was made to maintain the passport's "international standard".

Under the latest directive, the passport's front cover will remain unchanged, while the inside of the first cover will continue to feature the Martyrs' Memorial.

A Department of Immigration and Passports official said implementing the changes would take time because existing passport stock must first be used.

Around 24,000 to 25,000 passports are delivered daily, with booklet printing done abroad and binding completed in Bangladesh, the official said.

"We usually maintain stock for one to one-and-a-half years. The next printing order will incorporate the new design," the official added.