Bangladesh plans single lifelong digital ID for every citizen

DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Bangladesh is moving to introduce a single lifelong identity card for every citizen, including newborns, in an effort to replace a fragmented identification system and make it easier for people to access government services without repeatedly submitting the same personal information.

The proposed Unified Digital Identity, or One-ID, would eventually be used across services ranging from healthcare and education to welfare programs and digital transactions, according to Prothom Alo.

Every citizen would receive a unique and permanent identity from birth that would remain with them throughout their life.

The initiative marks a major overhaul of Bangladesh’s current system, under which people rely on multiple documents and identification numbers for different purposes. 

Children receive birth registration certificates, while National Identity Cards, or NIDs, are generally issued from the age of 18. Passports, driving licenses and Taxpayer Identification Numbers operate through separate systems.

Under the proposed system, services currently linked to documents such as the NID, Family Card and Farmer Card could gradually be brought under the One-ID, although officials have yet to finalize exactly which information and services will be incorporated.

The Information and Communication Technology Division says existing cards would gradually lose their current functions as services are integrated into the new system.

Officials argue that the lack of coordination between existing databases creates duplication and forces citizens to provide the same information repeatedly to different government agencies.

ICT Division Secretary Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan said authorities have encountered cases of individuals possessing two birth registration certificates or even two passports, illustrating problems the government hopes a unique permanent identity could address.

The government is studying identity systems used in countries including the United States, Singapore, Estonia and India while designing the program.

Information and Technology Adviser Rehan Asif Asad has described the concept as “One Citizen, One Digital ID, One Wallet,” envisioning an identity that could also facilitate digital transactions. Authorities have not yet determined precisely what information would be stored on the card.

The system is part of the proposed Digital Service Transformation for Access and Resilience, or D-STAR, project, which is expected to run from 2026 to 2031 and be implemented by the Bangladesh Computer Council. The project has been submitted to the Planning Commission for approval.

The project is estimated to cost 91.93 billion Bangladeshi taka ($747 million), with the government contributing 76.63 billion taka ($623 million) and the World Bank providing 15.30 billion taka ($124 million) in loans.

Initial plans call for identity cards covering about 180 million citizens, although 200 million polycarbonate chip cards would be produced. Each card is estimated to cost 246 taka ($2) to produce and print and another 123 taka ($1) to distribute, bringing the total to 369 taka ($3) per card.

About 73.80 billion taka ($600 million), the largest portion of the project budget, would go toward producing and distributing the cards and collecting biometric information, including fingerprints.

Experts say the project’s usefulness will ultimately depend on whether Bangladesh can make its existing government databases communicate effectively. Linking records for birth registration, NIDs, passports, driving licenses and tax identification could eliminate duplicate data collection and significantly reduce bureaucratic hassles for citizens.