DHAKA, Dec 5, 2025 (BSS) - The Bangladesh Embassy in Addis Ababa has officially launched e-passport services, marking a significant step toward improving consular facilities for expatriate Bangladeshis living in Ethiopia and nearby countries.

The inauguration ceremony was held on Wednesday afternoon with Bangladesh's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Air Vice Marshal Sitwat Nayeem, attending as the chief guest. Among the special guests were Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Monjur-E-Elahi, Deputy Project Director of the Implementation of e-Passport and Automated Border Control Management in Bangladesh Project, Shihab Uddin Khan, Director (Finance and Administration) and M. Anwar Parvez, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The event began with a recitation from the Holy Quran. Lieutenant Colonel Monjur-E-Elahi delivered a brief address highlighting the importance of e-passport technology and the need for its proper and effective use.

In his speech as chief guest, Ambassador Nayeem paid tribute to the martyrs of the 2024 July Uprising and honored the veteran freedom fighters of the 1971 Liberation War. 

He said the introduction of e-passport services at the Addis Ababa Mission would significantly ease immigration procedures for Bangladeshi expatriates in Ethiopia and three neighboring countries. 

He added that the modern technology used in e-passports would enhance Bangladesh's global credibility, potentially leading more countries to pursue visa-exemption agreements with Bangladesh.

The ambassador expressed his gratitude to the Department of Immigration & Passports (DIP) under the Ministry of Home Affairs and the e-passport project team for making the Addis Ababa mission the 68th Bangladeshi foreign mission to provide e-passport services.