EC to roll out NID services for Bangladeshi expats in Japan

The Election Commission (EC) is planning to begin issuing national identity cards (NIDs) to Bangladeshi expatriates in Japan, making it the 10th country where such services are offered.

“We’ve finalised the plan, and if everything goes accordingly, we expect to begin the voter registration process in Japan by Jul 15,” said ASM Humayun Kabir, director general of the National Identity Registration Wing.

Bangladeshi expatriates are already receiving NID services through 16 mission offices in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia, Australia, and Canada.

According to officials from the NID Registration Wing, as of mid-May, a total of 45,184 applications had been submitted from seven countries. Of these, 28,926 people completed registration with biometric fingerprinting. However, 3,563 applications were rejected following verification, while 21,889 remain under investigation at various Upazila offices.

So far, over 11,000 expatriate Bangladeshis have received their NID cards. The EC ultimately plans to roll out NID services in 40 countries in phases.