The Bangladesh government has decided to revoke all diplomatic (red) passports currently held by former ministers and members of parliament (MPs), along with those issued to their family members.
Md Mashiur Rahman, senior secretary of the security service division at the home ministry, informed The Daily Star that steps are already being taken to implement this decision. An official order is expected to be issued soon following a recent meeting at the ministry.
“We have instructed the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) to initiate the process, and it is already underway,” Rahman said. “The formal order will be released shortly.”
This decision follows the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, which occurred on August 5, 2024. The cancellation of the primary holder’s diplomatic passport will automatically extend to their family members’ passports as well.
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“Anyone holding a diplomatic passport will need to surrender it before applying for a standard passport,” Rahman explained.
According to ministry sources, once the red passports are canceled, former ministers and MPs facing legal issues or arrests may need to navigate a legal process to obtain ordinary passports. They can only apply for a regular passport after securing a court order.
Diplomatic passports are issued to MPs, officials in Bangladeshi missions abroad, and other high-ranking government representatives, allowing visa-free travel or visas on arrival in several countries.
Once the cancellation order is enforced, former MPs and ministers who are currently abroad will need to surrender their diplomatic passports either at the nearest DIP office or upon returning to Bangladesh.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who held a red passport, reportedly took refuge in India on August 5 after the government was overthrown.
Several former ministers and MPs from the previous government have been arrested, while others left the country before the government’s collapse to avoid arrest. Although there have been no reports of escapes after August 5, many former officials are still in hiding. Law enforcement agencies are actively working to apprehend them, with more than two dozen cases filed against them.
As per the passport department, diplomatic passports for ministers and MPs are valid for the five-year parliamentary term. The passports expire once the parliamentary term concludes.
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