The decision was taken at the 12th commission meeting of the Election Commission held on Tuesday (July 21) in the conference room of the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka. After the meeting, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed informed journalists of this information.

He said that to apply for NID renewal, the applicant must also submit the national identity card information of family members. Similarly, for NID transfer, providing the specified information has been made mandatory. The commission has also set application fees for these two types of services.

Akhtar Ahmed informed that a proposal to amend the relevant law to make NID renewal mandatory every 15 years will be sent to the Local Government Division. The new provisions will come into effect after the law is amended and the necessary processes are completed.

The meeting also decided to simplify the voter registration process for expatriate Bangladeshis. Currently, after applying online, the applicant's biometric information is collected following an investigation. Under the new system, the applicant's information and biometrics will be collected simultaneously. After that, the Election Commission will complete the subsequent steps after the necessary investigation.

In addition, the commission discussed reducing the age limit for collecting information for the voter list and NID. Currently, information is collected from individuals aged 16 years or older, and they are automatically included in the voter list when they turn 18.

The EC senior secretary said that it is being reviewed whether the age for information collection can be further reduced. A final decision will be made later based on a comparative analysis of whether information collection should start from SSC, eighth grade, or primary level.