The government is moving towards eliminating police verification for issuing and renewing passports in Bangladesh. Currently handled by the Special Branch (SB) of the police, this verification process often causes significant delays, with around 16,000 passport applications pending due to waiting for police reports. National ID cards and birth certificates are expected to become the primary documents for passport issuance, provided the information is accurate. This shift follows a recent advisory council meeting chaired by Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, where the need to remove police verification was discussed to streamline the process and reduce harassment faced by citizens.

Many applicants have complained about the prolonged delays, especially in urgent cases involving medical emergencies or immediate travel needs. It was also noted that unofficial bribes ranging from 500 to 1,000 taka are commonly demanded during the verification process, despite no legal basis for such payments. The public administration reform commission, led by former secretary Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, argued that obtaining a passport is a citizen’s right and questioned the necessity of police verification. He pointed out that in countries like the UK, passports are issued without such checks.

In response, an inter-ministerial meeting will be held today at the Secretariat, chaired by Senior Secretary Dr. Nasimul Gani of the Ministry of Home Affairs, to draft recommendations for resolving passport-related complications. Representatives from various departments, including the Prime Advisor’s Office, the Ministry of Law, and the Special Branch, will attend the meeting. The reform commission has also suggested discontinuing police verification for jobs and other services, emphasizing that political affiliations of applicants or their families should not influence the process.