Bangladesh moves toward ending MRP passport services by end-2026

Dhaka : Bangladesh is preparing to discontinue machine-readable passport (MRP) services worldwide by the end of 2026 as demand for the older travel document has dropped sharply following the expansion of e-passports.

The government has directed Bangladeshi missions where e-passport facilities are already available to stop issuing MRPs, with December 31, 2026 set as the target for completing the transition across all overseas missions.

The move was endorsed at an inter-ministerial review meeting chaired by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on May 23. Officials said nearly 99 percent of passport applicants at Bangladesh's overseas missions now seek e-passports.

The Department of Immigration and Passports reported that 107,001 e-passports were issued between August 30 and September 3, while only one MRP was issued during the period, by an overseas consulate.

The government plans to deploy eight mobile enrollment kits in Saudi Arabia and introduce e-passport services at Bangladesh's missions in New Delhi and Kolkata.

The transition has been complicated by documentation mismatches among expatriate workers, particularly between national identity cards and birth registration records. Authorities have therefore allowed expatriates to use NIDs or birth certificates to correct e-passport information until December 31.