DHAKA: Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said after inauguration, the delivery of the e-passport will initially be started from Agargaon, Jatrabari and Uttara passport offices.

He said the e-passport would be distributed from all passport centers home and abroad within the year in phases.

The minister came up with the development at a press conference held at the Secretariat on Sunday (Jan 19).

He said: "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the launching ceremony of e-passport during an event at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) on January 22."

Bangladesh has finished implementing machine-readable passports (MRP) long before its target of November 2024, according to Khan.

Asaduzzaman Khan said: "E-passport will help verify an individual's details within only 30 seconds. The Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP) and the Bangladesh Army is jointly implementing the project."

Initially the DIP will distribute e-passport from Agargaon, Jatrabari and Uttara passport offices, he added.

The validity of the passports will be for five and 10 years. Passports will be delivered within two days on a very urgent basis, seven days for urgent and 15 days for regular delivery. Bangladesh will be the first country in South Asia to issue e-passports to its citizens, he added.

The minister said: “President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will receive the first e-passports in Bangladesh."

According to him, some 25,000 passports will be issued every day.

The e-passport would increase the acceptability of Bangladeshi passport across the world, ensure security of passport which would ease visit and immigration process globally, the Home Minister said.

BDST: 1744 HRS, JAN 19, 2020

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