Every year, thousands of Bangladeshis embark on foreign trips for various purposes. From education and health to recreational needs, the number of Bangladeshis opting for foreign travel is increasing exponentially. With a limited validity on a passport, it becomes necessary to get the passport renewed at some point. Considering the bureaucratic hassle involved, here’s a comprehensive guide on how to renew a Bangladeshi MRP passport.  There are mainly three types of passports in Bangladesh: handwritten, machine-readable, and e-passport. The last handwritten passport was issued in 2010 and considering each passport has a maximum validity of 10 years, all handwritten passports are obsolete at this point. Currently, passports are available either as MRP or e-passports. E-passports have been made available on a rollout basis starting in 2020. As of 2022, all the regional passport offices of Bangladesh are now offering the e-passport service. As a result, anyone holding an MRP passport can easily apply for reissuing their passport as an e-passport in the following way.  Read More: How to Get E-Passport in Bangladesh: Things you need to know How to Apply Online for Reissuing MRP as E-passports  The process of applying for e-passports is a hybrid one. You need to apply for the passport online and visit the regional passport office (in accordance with your present address) for biometric verification. Follow the steps below.  Registering on the Official Passport Site  The first step is to open an account on the official e-passport website. Here you will have to select whether you are currently in Bangladesh or not. 

Bangladesh has been providing e-passport or electronic passport to every citizen of all ages since January 22, 2020. Overall, the Bangladesh Passport Department issues e-passports through a uniform application process. However, there are some differences in the rules of application based on age and occupation. There is a slight variation in the required application documents for children from newborn to 6 years and from then on up to 18 years. Today's article describes the application process of Bangladesh e-passport for children. Documents required to apply for an e-passport for children Photocopy of online registered birth certificate To get an e-passport, the child’s online birth registration needs to be completed first. Whether the birth certificate is registered online can be verified through the National Birth and Death Registration website of Bangladesh. If the BRC (birth registration certificate) is displayed by the system after entering the BRC number and date of birth, then the applicant (child) is eligible for the e-passport application. Photocopies of the national identity cards of parents According to the Bangladesh Passport Policy, the NID (National Identity) Card of each parent is required along with the BRC in order to issue a passport to the citizens aged 6 to 20 years. The spelling of the parents’ names in English on their NID cards and the child's BRC must be the same. Even if there is a slight mistake, it has to be corrected in advance. Read How to Get E-Passport in Bangladesh: Things you need to know 3-R size photo of the child In the case of children below 6 years of age, complications arise when taking pictures at the passport office. Therefore, a copy of the 3-R size photo with gray background printed in the lab should be taken to the passport office along with the application form. But if the child is more than 6 years old, no picture is needed. Invoice for payment of passport fee The e-passport fee payment invoice can be downloaded directly from the e-challan website of the Government of Bangladesh. Entering the required information, this form can be deposited in any nearest government or private bank. After receiving the invoice, the bank will issue a deposit receipt along with a customer copy of the invoice. Copy of full fill-up online application form and schedule for e-passport These two documents can be obtained from Bangladesh e-passport online portal, once the e-passport application is completed. Read Visa Free Country List for Bangladeshi Passport Holders in 2021 How to apply for Bangladesh e-passport for children online - First, it is required to sign up in Bangladesh e-passport online portal with the NID number, email id, and password. In the ‘personal information’ section, the provided information must match the applicant’s (child's) BRC document.  - Most importantly, it is appropriate to choose ‘Others’ in the section of profession.  - For any child under the age of 18, only a 5-year valid 46-page passport needs to be selected.  - After submitting the application finally, a one-page online e-passport schedule copy will be available from the print summary at the very end.  - By clicking on the download application form, the applicant can get a three-page e-passport online application along with an interview schedule. Read Travel Malaysia: Best places to visit, craziest things to do Interview and Biometrics for Bangladesh e-passport of Children During the interview day, the applicant (child) must carry the printed 3-page application form along with the interview schedule. Check out the list of other required documents mentioned in the passport form and e-passport website. Usually, the required document includes photocopies of the BRC and NID cards. It would be wise to keep the original copies of BRC and NID cards along with photocopies. The applicant’s (child’s) 3-R size picture should be kept separate. All the documents need to be submitted to the passport office under the police station for submission. In the case of a child below 6 years of age, an e-passport delivery slip will be given just after submitting the application form along with relevant documents. Because biometrics are not taken for those under 6 years of age. The 3-R size photo is used in the e-passport.  But in the case of children above 6 years of age, the schedule of an interview is given for biometrics. Then a passport delivery slip is given after taking biometrics. Read Travel Malaysia: Best places to visit, craziest things to do Bangladesh E-passport application fee for children In Bangladesh, the e-passport application fee is the same for both minors and adults. Within the country, the e-passport fee includes 15 percent VAT. The regular/General Delivery Fee for an ePassport of 48 pages with 5 years of validity is BDT. 4,025. BDT. The fee is 6,325 for express service;  while the super express costs about BDT. 8,625. How long does it take to get an e-passport for children? For the regular/General e-passport service, it takes 15 or 21 working days from the date of receipt of the delivery slip. This time is reduced to 7 or 10 working days for express delivery. And It takes only 2 working days to get the passport in Super Express delivery. However, this super express facility is available only from Agargaon Passport Office, Dhaka. Read Romantic Beach Honeymoon Destinations in Asia The children of government employees can get the express service at the Regular/General fee by showing their parents’ NOC (No Objection Letter) or PRL (Retirement Leave) Certificate. Bottom line Nowadays, by virtue of digitalisation, the application process for an e-passport for children in Bangladesh has become simple and hassle-free. The whole application process does not even require attestation of documents. Since children are getting the scope to get e-Passports before receiving academic certificates, they will hardly face any problem related to their e-passport renewal process or NID card registration in future. By providing the same information in all cases including NID Card, SSC, HSC, and TIN Certificate, there will be no hassle in national-level activities. Read Online Hajj Registration from Bangladesh: Procedure and Costs