Mashiur Rahman Majumdar: Whenever the issue of Bangladeshi expatriates comes up, the discussion usually begins with remittances. Yet an expatriate is not merely someone who sends foreign currency home. He or she is a Bangladeshi citizen. Even while living abroad, an expatriate has the right to citizenship, the right to receive government services and the right to seek state assistance when necessary. It is from this perspective that passport, National Identity Card (NID) and other consular services for expatriate Bangladeshis should be viewed.

In recent times, the government has emphasized making passport and NID services for expatriates faster, easier, more transparent and technology-driven. Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has said in Parliament that Bangladeshi missions where e-passport services have been introduced provide online applications, biometric enrolment at convenient times and facilities to track application progress. Applicants are also notified by SMS or email when their passports are ready. These are undoubtedly positive initiatives. But the question is: Is launching a service the same as making that service genuinely accessible?

At present, voter registration and NID services are available through 27 Bangladeshi missions in 17 countries. The government plans to gradually expand these services to 41 countries. This means that although important steps have been taken, NID-related services are still not equally accessible to Bangladeshis living in every part of the world.

The same question arises in the case of passports. When the passport of a Bangladeshi living abroad expires, the person has to depend on the relevant embassy or consulate. Although applications can be submitted online, applicants still have to appear at the mission at a designated time for biometric enrolment. The passport itself is issued by the Department of Immigration and Passports in Dhaka. Therefore, if coordination between overseas missions and the relevant authorities in Bangladesh is not effective, the waiting time for applicants may increase.

Let us take the United States as an example. According to the current information provided by the Bangladesh Consulate General in New York, applicants can apply online for e-passports, pay the required fees, schedule appointments and complete biometric enrolment. The necessary documents are also clearly listed. Similarly, an online application and appointment system is available for NID services.

This is an important step toward digital public services. But from an expatriate’s perspective, the quality of a service cannot be measured simply by whether an online application system exists. The real question is: How fast, accurate, predictable and hassle-free is the entire process from application to service delivery?

If an expatriate has to repeatedly visit an embassy or consulate after applying online to correct information, verify documents, complete biometric procedures, collect a passport or resolve an NID-related problem, then questions will inevitably remain about how much of the original purpose of digital services has actually been achieved.

Another important issue is coordination among government agencies. Passport, NID, birth registration, visa services and document authentication often involve multiple government institutions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that, under its action plan for the 2026-27 fiscal year, steps are being taken to establish an online system involving relevant agencies to make verification of passport, visa and birth and death registration information easier.

This is where the next major test of digital public services lies. Simply introducing online forms does not make a service fully digital. What is needed is interoperability among government agencies, faster verification, a system that prevents citizens from repeatedly submitting the same information, and clear accountability for applicants.

The same reality applies to NID services. An identity card is an extremely important document for any citizen. It may be required for voter registration, banking, property-related matters, government services and various administrative procedures when returning to Bangladesh. If an expatriate finds an error in their NID or needs to correct personal information, the process for resolving the issue should also be made as simple as possible.

Distance is another major challenge for expatriates seeking government services. Not all expatriates live near capitals or major cities. In many countries, Bangladeshi citizens are spread across vast geographical areas, sometimes hundreds of miles away from their nearest embassy or consulate. Mobile consular camps can therefore be an effective solution.

Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has said that 86 Bangladeshi missions in 63 countries regularly organize mobile consular camps. These camps provide passport and other consular services and bring services closer to expatriates living far from embassies and consulates. The locations, dates and times of such camps are announced in advance.

This initiative should be expanded and organized more regularly. Particularly in countries with large Bangladeshi communities spread across wide geographical areas, a fixed annual calendar for mobile consular services could save expatriates both time and money.

But providing services alone is not enough. Prompt resolution of complaints is equally important. The government has said that online complaint management systems are in place at Bangladeshi missions and that plans are underway to appoint designated officials to ensure complaints are resolved quickly.

This raises several important questions. How long should an expatriate have to wait for a response after filing a complaint? How will the applicant track the progress of the complaint? If an application is stuck at a government office, who will inform the applicant? And if a service is not delivered within the stipulated time, to whom can the citizen hold the authorities accountable?

Improving expatriate services requires institutional answers to these questions. When an expatriate wants to renew a passport, obtain an NID or authenticate a document, they are not asking for special treatment. They are seeking government services as a matter of their citizenship rights.

Therefore, expatriate services cannot be treated merely as an administrative responsibility. They must be viewed as part of citizens’ rights and the state’s responsibility. Even while living abroad, Bangladeshi citizens maintain an administrative and civic relationship with their country. The easier, more transparent and more reliable that relationship becomes, the stronger their trust in the state will be.

A change in mindset is also necessary. Expatriates should not be viewed merely as people who send remittances. They are contributors to the national economy, potential investors, responsible members of families and representatives of Bangladesh on foreign soil.

That is why even a minor administrative complication involving passport or NID services can become a major burden for an expatriate. Travelling long distances to an embassy, taking time off from work, spending money on transportation or repeatedly contacting authorities to resolve a simple problem all carry real costs for expatriates.

The government’s recent initiatives must therefore translate into tangible results. Online applications, biometric enrolment, application tracking, e-apostille, online complaint management and mobile consular camps should all be brought under an integrated service framework.

Most importantly, the quality of services should be measured from the perspective of expatriates’ actual experiences. The number of applications received is less important than the number of applications resolved on time. The number of missions offering a service is less important than how many citizens can actually access that service easily.

If passport and NID services for expatriates can truly be made faster, easier, more transparent and technology-driven, it will be more than an administrative reform. It will strengthen the relationship between the state and its citizens abroad.

Expatriates send money home for the country. But the state needs more than their money—it needs their trust. And trust is built not through promises, but through effective services. It is therefore time to ask the question more directly: How far have we actually progressed in providing passport and NID services to expatriates, and how much of what has been promised has reached them in reality?

The answer is important not only for the government but for every level of the state service system. An expatriate’s money is an asset to the country, but an expatriate’s trust is an equally valuable national asset. Protecting that trust requires not only promises but also meaningful improvements in the quality of services delivered to Bangladeshis living abroad.

— Journalist, Jackson Heights, New York

Orpi Ahmed: There is no need to elaborate on the contribution of expatriate Bangladeshis to the country’s economy. Remittances are one of Bangladesh’s major sources of foreign exchange. Every year, millions of Bangladeshis living abroad send substantial amounts of money to support their families, relatives and, ultimately, the country’s economy. These remittances not only help sustain the livelihoods of families back home but also play an important role in strengthening the country’s foreign exchange reserves and overall economy.

Recent statistics also highlight the strong flow of remittances. According to Bangladesh Bank data, the country received $18.94 billion in remittances during the six months from March to August 2026, compared with $16.74 billion during the same period a year earlier. This represents a 13.1 percent increase year-on-year.

Behind this achievement are millions of Bangladeshis working abroad. Expatriates in Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Malaysia and other countries continue to send money home regularly. During the March-August period alone, Bangladesh received approximately $1.72 billion in remittances from the United States.

The question, therefore, is this: How effectively is the state providing easy, timely and dignified services to the people who are making such a significant contribution to the country?

This question has become increasingly important because expatriate Bangladeshis depend on embassies and consulates for a wide range of services, including passports, national identity cards, birth registration, consular assistance and document attestation. For someone living abroad, even a minor complication in accessing a government service can turn into a major source of inconvenience.

The government has recently announced several positive initiatives in this regard. Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman told Parliament that improving passport and national identity card services for expatriate Bangladeshis—making them faster, easier, more transparent and technology-driven—is among the government’s top priorities. At Bangladesh missions where e-passport services have been introduced, applicants can submit applications online, schedule biometric enrollment at convenient times and track the progress of their applications.

This is certainly encouraging. But the reality on the ground is even more important.

At present, NID services are available at 27 Bangladesh missions in 17 countries. The government plans to gradually expand these services to 41 countries. This means that many Bangladeshis living abroad still do not have direct and convenient access to NID-related services.

Take the United States as an example. The Bangladesh Consulate General in New York provides online applications, appointments and biometric enrollment facilities for e-passports. Procedures for applying for NID services are also available. However, while new NID applications are accepted, NID correction applications are not processed at the consulate, according to information published on its website.

This brings us to the central question: Is providing a service the same as making that service accessible and convenient? If an expatriate has to visit an embassy or consulate repeatedly for a routine document, wait for long periods, or spend months waiting for coordination with a government office in Bangladesh, then how much of the promised benefit of digital services is actually reaching the people?

Consular services for expatriate Bangladeshis should not be viewed merely as an administrative responsibility. They should be treated as a matter of citizens’ rights and a responsibility of the state. When an expatriate represents Bangladesh abroad, contributes to the national economy and regularly sends foreign currency home, the relationship between the citizen and the state should not be limited to the moment when remittances are sent. When a passport expires, an NID contains an error, a birth certificate or another document is needed, or a citizen faces a legal or administrative difficulty, receiving assistance from the state should also be regarded as a right.

Another issue deserves attention. Services for expatriates cannot remain concentrated only around major cities where diplomatic missions are located. For Bangladeshis living across a geographically vast country like the United States, mobile consular camps can be an effective solution. If such services are organized more regularly and systematically across different states, many expatriates could avoid travelling long distances to reach a consulate.

The Bangladesh Consulate in Florida, for example, has also been issuing notices regarding consular tours. At the same time, the mechanism for resolving complaints needs to become more effective. The government has said that online complaint-management systems are in place at Bangladesh missions and that officials will be assigned to ensure the timely resolution of complaints.

If these initiatives are implemented effectively, they can strengthen the relationship between the state and its expatriate citizens. But the biggest requirement is a change in mindset. Expatriates should not be viewed merely as a source of remittances. They are Bangladeshi citizens, potential investors, members of families back home and important representatives of the country abroad.

The rise in remittances is undoubtedly good news for Bangladesh. But whether the quality of services provided to expatriate Bangladeshis is improving at the same pace is now an equally important question.

If Bangladesh wants to sustain and increase the flow of remittances, it must also maintain the confidence of its expatriate citizens. Trust is built not only through financial incentives, but also through timely services, transparency, dignity and accountability. As the country expects greater contributions from its expatriate citizens, the state must also take greater responsibility for ensuring better services for them.

An expatriate’s money is an asset to the country, but an expatriate’s trust is an equally valuable national asset. Protecting that trust should now be one of the state’s greatest responsibilities.

— Columnist, Elmhurst, New York