বাংলাদেশে পাশপোর্ট করাটা সবসময়ই একটি ঝামেলাপূর্ণ কাজ হিসেবেই বিবেচিত হয়েছে। পাসপোর্ট অফিসের দালালরা তো প্রায় প্রবাদপ্রতিম রূপকথার মতোই লোকের মুখে মুখে। তবে বিগত Military Intervention এর পর অবস্থাপর অভূতপূর্ব উন্নতি হয়েছে এবং সত্যসত্যই দালালরা রূপকথার রাজ্যে চলে গেছে। যা হোক, যদি নতুন পাসপোর্ট করতে চান অথবা পুরনো Handwritten passport কে MRP (Machine Readable Passport) তে convert করতে চান, তার ধাপগুলোই নিজের অভিজ্ঞতার আলোকে তুলে ধরছি।
1. Deposit Fee
Your first job should be to deposit fee to any nominated branch of Sonali Bank Ltd. Please avoid 'Agargaon Branch' adjacent to passport office due to long queue. Alternatively you may choose: Malibagh, Mogbazar, Awlad Hossain Market, Mohammadpur, B.B. Avenue, Dilkisha, Mirpur-12 or College gate branch.
Deposit Tk.6000/- for Express (within 7 days) or Tk. 3000/- for Regular (15 days).
2. Fill up the form in Online
Visit http://www.passport.gov.bd/ and fill up the form. After fill-up submit and you will get email stating ID and password. Also you shall be given a link to download the PDF version which is to print twice for new MRP and single for MRP conversion.
3. Paste photograph and sign
After getting the hard copy of your form, please paste your photograph upper left of the first page and deposit slip at the upper right stating that the bar code is visible. Put your signature at the third page.
4. Attestation
Attest your form as stated in the form. You may choose First class government officers or if not find anyone then go to notary public. It may costs up to Tk. 100 depending on negotiation. Along with the form, also attest your National ID.
5. Attach necessary documents
You need following documents for final submission to passport office.
1) Duly filled in and attested online application form in two copy or single for old-passport holders.
2) Attested copy of National ID,
3) First nine pages photocopy of old-passport. (if any)
4) Photocopy of any photo ID, i.e. employee ID in case of job holders,
5) Certificate form City Corporation.
6) NOC from competent authority (if applicable).
6. Submission
You need to submit your application to the mentioned passport office while applying online. In this case, I shall share my Agargaon experience.
You should attend before 7:30 AM otherwise have to stand after a long queue.
You should report at room no. 304 first for primary scrutiny and the Officer will ask you where to report next, if all of your documents are in due diligence. At the final stage, they will collect your biometric information and provide an acknowledgment slip with tentative delivery date.
THAT'S ALL FOR YOUR NEW MRP PASSPORT!!
