High Court Orders Expedited Processing of Overseas Passport Renewal Applications
The High Court of Bangladesh has mandated the Immigration and Passport Directorate to resolve all pending passport renewal applications from expatriates within 60 days. The directive was issued by a bench comprising Justice Md. Habibul Gani and Justice Syed Mohammad Dairul Hossain, who also ordered the submission of a compliance report within 90 days. This decision stems from a writ petition filed by the human rights organization Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRBP), represented by three lawyers, following a news report highlighting the significant difficulties faced by expatriates in renewing their passports. The court issued a rule nisi, demanding explanations from various government secretaries and the Director General of the Passport Directorate within four weeks as to why their inaction in processing these applications should not be deemed illegal. Senior lawyer Manzil Morshed, who represented the petitioner, stated that the Passport Directorate's Director General and the relevant project director are specifically tasked with clearing the backlog. Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been instructed to issue directives to Bangladeshi High Commissions and Embassies abroad within 21 days to expedite the forwarding of new and renewal passport applications to the Passport Office. A report on this matter is also to be submitted to the court within 30 days. Morshed emphasized that the prolonged delays in passport processing cause considerable hardship for millions of expatriates, potentially leading to job losses and negatively impacting the national economy through reduced remittances.
The High Court's directive addresses a critical bottleneck impacting expatriate citizens, whose remittances significantly bolster the national economy. By mandating a 60-day resolution for pending passport renewals and requiring inter-ministerial coordination, the court is attempting to rectify systemic inefficiencies. This intervention highlights a potential disconnect between the administrative capacity of the Passport Directorate and the volume of applications, exacerbated by delays in forwarding from overseas missions. The ruling implicitly points to the need for enhanced digital infrastructure and streamlined inter-agency communication to manage such essential services effectively. Over the next decade, as global mobility and digital governance evolve, countries will increasingly face pressure to modernize these processes to retain talent and facilitate economic contributions from their diasporas. Failure to adapt could lead to a competitive disadvantage in attracting and retaining skilled workers abroad.
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