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DHAKA, Dec 3, 2025 (BSS) - A total of 155,061 expatriate Bangladeshis have so far registered for the country's first-ever postal voting system, enabling those living abroad to cast their ballots in the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad election and the referendum.
 
According to updated figures released on the Election Commission (EC) website, 155,061 expatriate voters had completed registration through the "Postal Vote BD" app as of 10am today. Of them, 137,491 are male voters and 17,570 are female voters.

Among the country-wise registrations, 21,516 are in Saudi Arabia, while 18,673 in the United States, 9,839 in Singapore, 9,420 in South Korea, 8,967 in the United Kingdom, 8,894 in Canada, 7,742 in Malaysia, 7,638 in Australia, 6,851 in Japan, and 6,394 in the United Arab Emirates.

Meanwhile, the EC has extended the deadline for expatriate voters to register through the Postal Vote BD app until December 25. Earlier, the registration process for expatriate voters through the app had been kept open for all countries across the world until 11:59pm on December 18.

EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said, "Regarding out-of-country voting, we had said the deadline was December 18. That time limit has been extended until midnight on December 25." 

He continued, "According to Bangladesh Standard Time, we have extended it by another week until December 25. Because many expatriates said it would be better if the time was extended. We also saw that there was an opportunity to extend the time, so the time has been extended."

He added, "Now from anywhere in the world, anyone can download our app and register as a voter to cast their vote."

The Senior Secretary said that the In-Country Postal Voting (ICPV) process will also be introduced for government officials participating in the election process, voters in legal custody, and government employees staying outside their respective constituencies. 

He mentioned that after the announcement of the election schedule, the registration process for ICPV in-country postal voting will be launched for a 15-day period.

On November 18, the Chief Election Commissioner launched the "Postal Vote BD" app and announced the registration schedule for voters in 148 designated countries for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election.

To vote by postal ballot, expatriate voters must use a mobile number from the country where they will cast their vote.

For registration, users must first download and install the "Postal Vote BD" app from Google Play Store or App Store.

By selecting Bangla or English, they can view the required documents and instructions for registration. Providing accurate address details is essential to ensure receipt of ballot papers abroad.