ZCZC
BSS-46
E-PASSPORT-LAUNCHING-TOMORROW
PM to launch e-passport tomorrow
DHAKA, Jan 21, 2020 (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate e-passport and automated border control management programme tomorrow morning at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) here.
President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the occasion.
The renowned German company Veridos GmbH has been implementing the e-passport and automated border control management project.
The validity of e-passport will be five to ten years.
According to the passport authorities, the fee for 48-page and five-year validity passport is fixed at Taka 3,500 for general application, Taka 5,500 for urgent, Taka 7,500 for very urgent and for 10 years validity, the fee is fixed at Taka 5000 for general, 7000 for urgent and 9000 for very urgent.
For new passport, it will take three days for passport delivery on very urgent application, seven days for urgent and 21 days for general while for reissuance, it will take two days for very urgent application, three days for urgent and seven days for general applications.
Besides, separate fees have been fixed in Bangladesh missions abroad for general applicants, workers and students.
For general application for 48-page five years validity passport, the fee will be $100 and for urgent delivery the fee will be $ 150. For 10 years validity, the fee will be $125 for general application while fee $ 175 for urgent delivery.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), there are more than 100 states and non-state entities (i.e. United Nations) currently issuing e-Passports, and over 490 million e-Passports are in circulation.
The e-passports add a layer of security to traditional non-electronic passports by embedding an electronic chip in the passport booklet that stores the biographical information visible on page 2 of the passport, as well as a digital security feature.
The digital security feature is a country specific “digital signature.” These digital signatures are unique to each country and can be verified using their respective certificates.
According to the project details, the project “Introduction of Bangladesh e-Passport and Automated Border Control Management” is being implemented at a cost of Taka 4,569 crore.
With issuing the e-Passport the whole process of the immigration formalities will be completed through online.
It said two million e-passports will be made in Germany. As a result, the passports of those who apply first will be made from Germany. Validity of e-passport will be for five and 10 years.
The Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) and Germany Veridos signed an agreement on July 19 in 2018 for electronic passports alongside machine-readable ones.
BSS/BKD/TIT/TAN/MMA/2022hrs