Youths aged 16 or above eligible for NID services: EC
Bangladeshi citizens aged at least 18 have been entitled to avail themselves of NID services and cards since the introduction of NID registration in 2008.
Youths aged 16 or above will now be able to avail themselves of national identity (NID) services and cards, according to a decision taken by the Election Commission.
The EC today (22 February) issued a notification directing its field-level officials to extend NID services to Bangladeshi citizens aged 16 and 17 as well.
Bangladeshi citizens aged at least 18 have been entitled to avail themselves of NID services and cards since the introduction of NID registration in 2008.
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"The Election Commission has decided to conduct registration activities for Bangladeshi citizens who have completed 16 or 17 years of age on the date of their application, in line with Article 5 of the National Identity Registration (Amendment) Act, 2010," the notification said.
The directive was sent to the director general of the NID Registration Wing, regional election officers, district election officers, and upazila/thana election officers.
In 2008, the EC introduced the NID card during the preparation of the country's electoral rolls with photographs ahead of the ninth parliamentary election. Initially, the EC issued laminated NID cards to Bangladeshi citizens aged at least 18 and later began distributing smart NID cards in 2016.
NID cards are required to avail various government and private services, such as opening bank accounts, obtaining passports and driving licences, registering SIM cards, and accessing land-related services.
