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Bangladesh Embassy in Washington D.C has introduced the electronic passport (e-passport) services for catering to the needs of Bangladeshi diaspora in the USA.
Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA M Shahidul Islam and Secretary to the Security Services Division of the Home Ministry Md Mokabbir Hossain jointly inaugurated the services at the Embassy in Washington.
The electronic passport (e-passport) system was officially launched by receiving two application forms from two applicants, said the Embassy on Saturday.
The e-passport system was earlier inaugurated in the New York Consulate on September 10 and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington is the fourth in line after introducing it in Berlin and Athens.
Mokabbir Hossain said e-passport being the latest technology leaves no chance of fraudulence and it will be appreciated by all countries.
He mentioned that many developed countries have not yet been able to implement this e-passport system and Bangladesh is the first in South Asia to do so.
The Secretary also mentioned that synchronizing with the e-passport system, the government has already established e-Gates at the international airports of Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet which will ease the immigration procedures of passengers.
Ambassador Shahidul underscored the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for successful implementation of e-passport service as another landmark event of her attaining-“Digital Bangladesh”.
He hoped that the introduction of e-passports, in the year of 50th anniversary of independence and birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, would reduce the sufferings of Bangladeshi diaspora living all over the world.
The Ambassador said as pledged by the Government, the progression of this service from hand-written to electronic took a short span of time.
He emphasized the effective coordination between the Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP) and the missions abroad for rendering optimum services to the Bangladesh diaspora.
The Ambassador thanked the Security Services Division and Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP) for considering the commencement of e-passport services at the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington D.C as well as two Consulate General offices in New York and Los Angeles at the initial phase of introducing the new system.
Project Director of e-Passport project, Brigadier General Mr. Saidur Rahman Khan noted that after the inauguration of the e-passport system by the Prime Minister on 22 January 2021, Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP) has already distributed 1.0 million e-passports in the country.
He also mentioned that all the passport offices of the country were brought under the e-passport system at the end of June 2021 and now the system is being extended to Bangladesh missions abroad, reports UNB.