Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) for Bangladeshi expatriates are going to become dearer, as the department of immigration and passports (DIP) has proposed the imposition of a USD 10 carrying charge, in addition to the usual fees, to reach the documents to citizens working abroad.
The DIP has sent a proposal to this effect to the Security Services Division of the home ministry recently, seeking its opinion, sources in the DIP and the home ministry said.
The Security Services Division plans to hold a meeting soon to reach a decision on the matter, the sources added. The proposal has raised questions, as the DIP currently sends MRPs free of cost through the courier service, FedEx, to expatriate Bangladeshis, working in different countries.
The DIP has said in the proposal that it would require Tk. 7,16,47,881 to reach 1,40,785 MRPs annually to the expatriates by courier services.
At present, MRPs are being sent to expatriate Bangladeshis, working in 52 countries, through 65 missions to which the documents are sent by courier.
DIP director-general (DG) Maj. Gen. Md Masud Rezwan told The Independent the department had no funds to meet this massive carrying cost.
“We have recently signed an agreement with an international courier service—FedEx Express—to deliver MRPs to the Bangladeshis expatriates, for which would have to be paid a huge sum of money,” he said.
“As per the agreement, FedEx is supplying MRPs to the expatriates instead of the documents being sent by diplomatic bags. That’s why, now, they are receiving the MRPs within seven to 15 days of enrolment,” he added.
“Earlier, it used to take at least two-and-a-half months for the MRPs to reach individuals when they were sent by diplomatic bags,” he said.
To ensure the expatriates got the MRPs the soonest, the government has posted 15 officials in 11 Bangladesh missions abroad to issue the passports.
The home ministry also plans to create 366 new posts of different categories in all Bangladesh missions to issue MRPs and machine-readable visas (MRVs).  Officials of the foreign ministry currently provide passports to the missions abroad. A senior official of the passports department said at least 1.65 crore MRPs have been issued till date.  The MRPs were introduced in the country on April 1, 2010, to speed up clearance and improve travellers’ security.