What is The Purpose of Police Clearance For Bangladeshi Passports?
What is The Purpose of Police Clearance For Bangladeshi Passports?. Many developed countries issue passports without police verification. Various nations, including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, and Singapore, use modern digital databases, biometric systems, and national identity records to verify the identity of their citizens. Birth certificates, biometric information, and national identification cards are used in these countries, eliminating the need for separate police verification.
Why Don’t Developed Countries Require Police Verification?
In developed countries, digital identity management systems allow citizens to check their entire background instantly, including criminal records from the past. Authorities can verify someone details through centralized databases if they were involved in illegal activities. Many countries also require applicants to take an oath or sign a statutory declaration to confirm their honesty.
It may, however, be necessary to conduct additional screening in cases where security risks arise. Those who possess dual citizenship or have recently acquired citizenship may also be scrutinized more closely.
Is Bangladesh System as Advanced as Developed Nations?
Bangladesh is still far from having a fully digitalized identity management system. There are many inaccuracies and inefficiencies in our database. According to the 2025 Passport Index, Bangladesh ranks 93rd out of 199 countries, showing limited global mobility.
What is The Purpose of Police Clearance For Bangladeshi Passports?
National security is the primary reason for police clearance in Bangladesh. Passport verification is necessary for various criminal activities, such as terrorism, fraud, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and financial crimes. Criminals could easily obtain passports and flee the country without police verification.
Key Reasons For Police Verification:
How Does Bangladesh Compare in the Global Passport Index?
In the Henley Passport Index 2025, Bangladesh improved from 97th to 93rd place, moving from 97th in 2024 to 93rd in 2025. In spite of this, the country still lags behind many South Asian countries:
A total of 39 countries offer visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to Bangladeshi passport holders, down from 42 in previous years.
Should Bangladesh Remove Police Verification?
It has been argued that police clearance should be removed to speed up passport issuance. Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor to the President, has stated that NIDs and birth certificates are sufficient for verifying identity and questioning the need for police involvement. Bangladesh, however, has a high rate of fraudulent identity documents, making this approach risky.
Challenges in Implementing a Passport System Without Police Verification
How to Improve the Passport Issuance System?
Bangladesh should focus on the following instead of removing police verification:
Conclusion
Despite the efficient digital identity systems in developed countries, Bangladesh still requires police verification for security reasons. Criminals are at risk of obtaining passports because of the existing loopholes in identity verification. For national security and global credibility, Bangladesh should develop a corruption-free, digitalized passport system instead of removing police clearance.