Certain that it will fail the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) global November 24 deadline to switch from handwritten passports to machine-readable passports (MRPs), Bangladesh has sought until December 2018 to make the transition.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that an extension had been sought from the ICAO.
The main obstacle to meeting the deadline is posed by thousands of illegal Bangladeshi expatriates living in various countries and by migrant labourers living in Saudi Arabia whose travel documents are held by their employers, a high official of the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry said.
ICAO set November 24 as the deadline after which nobody will be allowed to travel internationally without an MRP. The deadline makes MRPs mandatory for nationals of all countries, including Bangladeshis.
“Bangladesh has filed a difference with the ICAO and has requested an extension to use handwritten passports until December 2018,” Menon said.
Departures from international standards are regulated by Article 38 of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Generally, when a state is unable to comply with a specific standard, it has an obligation to give notice to the ICAO by “filing a difference” under Article 38.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on November 19 told parliament that some 1,132,337 migrants were yet to be issued MRPs.
Joint Secretary for Civil Aviation and Tourism Abul Hasnat Md Ziaul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune that not just Bangladesh, but Japan, Nepal and several African countries had also failed to meet the deadline.
When asked about the difficulties that Bangladeshi migrants would have to face after tomorrow, the joint secretary said: “As far as I know, our passport authority has stopped issuing handwritten passports. Expatriates who do not have MRPs can easily apply for them at Bangladesh embassies and high commissions.
“The deadline is for those who want to leave their own country using handwritten passports.”
According to the ICAO website: “The requirement that non-MRPs expire by 24 November 2015 applies to all types of passports: Ordinary, Diplomatic and Service. However, it does not apply to temporary travel documents or passports of limited validity in cases of emergency, which usually have a short validity period and are issued by consulates to distressed nationals so that they could return to their home country.”
Abul Hasnat said: “Illegal migrants do not apply for MRPs because if they contact embassy officials, they would be required to return home. Expatriates living in Saudi Arabia are finding it difficult to apply for MRPs because their handwritten passports are kept by their recruiters or employers.
“They will be able to return home when their work permits expire. They either have to apply for MRPs or temporary travel documents from the nearest Bangladesh embassy.”
Source: Dhaka Tribune