The government is planning to reduce the fee for issuing a machine readable passport (MRP) to Bangladeshi expatriates in Algeria from USD 100 to USD 30. The security service division of the home ministry is going to hold a meeting soon after getting a proposal from the Ambassador of Bangladesh Embassy in Algeria Md Abdul Hai, sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Home Ministry said. In October last, the security service division of the Home Ministry reduced the fee for MRP passports for the Bangladeshi expatriates in Singapore to $30 from $100. Md Abdul Hai, in a letter sent to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the home said that there are a total of 2,000 expatriate Bangladeshis working in Algeria from a long time.

“The Bangladeshis expatriates are paying USD 100 for renewal of their travel MRP document, which is a burden for them. Most people are workers and they have demanded a reduction in the fee considering their financial situation,” the proposal said. In the letter, the ambassador mentioned that the authorities concerned had fixed USD 30 as fee for issuing MRP to Bangladeshi expatriates working in Gulf countries and Jordan,

Mauritius, Libya, Cyprus, Lebanon, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia by considering their monthly income. According to sources, 1.75 crore MRPs have been issued so far. All Bangladesh missions abroad introduced MRPs after the government launched the scheme in the country on April 1, 2010 to speed up clearance procedures and enhance travelers’ security.