EC sends NIDs to 5,807 expatriates living in the United States.

The Election Commission (EC) is sending National Identity Cards (NIDs) to 5,807 Bangladeshi expatriates living in the United States.

Officials from the organization's NID branch reported the matter on Wednesday.

It is learned that a total of 16,715 expatriates from the country had applied for NIDs. Of these, the commission has approved the applications of 10,968. Of these, NIDs for 5,807 are being printed. These will soon be provided to the concerned through the embassy.

The EC started NID activities last year through embassies in Washington DC, New York, Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles, California. In this case, the agency will send NIDs to 4,170 people living in New York, 430 in Washington, 365 in Miami, and 442 in Los Angeles.

EC officials said that voter list and NID distribution activities are underway at 24 stations in a total of 14 countries, including Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia; London, Manchester and Birmingham in the United Kingdom; Rome and Milan in Italy; Kuwait City in Kuwait; Doha in Qatar; Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Canberra and Sydney in Australia; Ottawa and Toronto in Canada; Tokyo in Japan; New York, Miami, Washington DC and Los Angeles in the United States; Male in the Maldives; Muscat in Oman; and Pretoria in South Africa.

So far, about one lakh applications have been received from all countries. Of these, about 20,000 citizens have received NIDs.

Four pieces of information are mandatory for expatriates

To become a voter while living abroad, an online application form (Form-2(a)), valid Bangladeshi passport/unexpired passport, attestation of three citizens holding NID, online birth registration and passport size color photograph must be submitted to the concerned registration center (at the relevant desk of the embassy).

Meanwhile, for citizens of 56 special upazilas/thanas (Chittagong region), they will have to fill in the 'Special Information Form', education certificate, NID of parents, death certificate if deceased, driving license/TIN (if applicable), dual citizenship certificate in some countries (if applicable), marriage certificate and NID of husband and wife (if applicable), citizenship certificate (by councilor, chairman/mayor/CEO), copy of utility bill (copy of electricity/water/gas bill of the address of the voter's area), house rental agreement and landlord's no objection certificate if they are tenants.

If non-mandatory information cannot be submitted to the registration center, expatriate citizens can submit it to the concerned upazila official through their relatives living in the country.

When expatriates fill out the voter registration form in the relevant country and all the information is correct, the Election Commission investigates the person's upazila to confirm the authenticity of the information. Then, if the information is found to be correct, the application is approved and the person is made a voter. At the same time, his NID is sent to the relevant embassy.