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The Home Ministry has issued new guidelines for the re-issuance of passports that are lost, stolen or damaged, with stricter procedures aimed at preventing misuse of travel documents.
The circular, issued on Monday, will take effect immediately.
Under the new rules, anyone whose passport is lost, stolen or destroyed must report the matter promptly through the designated online system of the Department of Immigration and Passports and file a general diary (GD) with the nearest police station.
The police will have to verify the GD and send a report to the Department of Immigration and Passports or the nearest passport office within 72 hours.
If the report is not received within that period, the applicant may still apply for re-issuance by submitting a copy of the GD.
The department will then issue a “Lost Circular” and proceed with the re-issuance.
If a passport submitted to an individual, organisation or travel agency for visa processing is found to have been unlawfully withheld and cannot be recovered immediately, the previous passport may be revoked and a new one issued.
For passports lost or stolen abroad, applicants must report the incident online and inform the relevant Bangladesh embassy, high commission or consulate.
The concerned mission will issue a “Lost Circular” and facilitate the re-issuance process.
The new passport will carry the notation “Previous Passport is Reported to be Lost”, while the previous passport’s status will be updated as “Lost” or “Revoked” in the relevant database.
The applicant’s basic identity details—including name, date of birth, father’s name and mother’s name—cannot be completely changed during re-issuance of a lost, stolen or damaged passport. Lawful corrections may, however, be considered separately.
If a partially damaged passport still contains identifiable portions, it may be replaced after those portions are surrendered.
A completely destroyed passport with no identifiable portion will be treated under the rules applicable to lost passports.
A passport reported lost or stolen and subsequently revoked cannot be reactivated or used for international travel even if it is later found.
The holder must immediately notify the police and the relevant authorities.
Importantly, the first loss, theft or destruction of a passport will not attract any penalty beyond the prescribed passport fee.
For every subsequent occurrence, an additional Tk10,000 penalty will be charged.
The new circular consolidates and revises previous instructions on the re-issuance of lost, stolen and damaged passports.
