The government has reduced the cost of registering births and deaths for Bangladeshi citizens by 75 percent.
The Local Government Division issued the revision in a notice on the rules for registering births and deaths on Monday.
The births and deaths of Bangladeshis living abroad can also be registered through their appropriate embassies.
As before, births and deaths can be registered in Bangladesh and abroad without charge within 45 days.
Births and deaths can now be registered for Tk 25 at home and $1 abroad up to five years after the events. Previously, the fee was Tk 100 at home and $2 abroad.
Registrations five years after the incident will cost Tk 50 in Bangladesh and $1 abroad. Previously the charges were Tk 200 in Bangladesh and $4 abroad.
To register the births and deaths of individuals up to 10 years after the events will cost Tk 500 in Bangladesh and $10 abroad. No new birth or death registrations will be accepted after 10 years have passed.
The government has enacted a new fee to correct birth dates – Tk 100 in Bangladesh and $2 abroad.
Previously an applicant paid Tk 500 in Bangladesh and $10 abroad in order to change their information. Now they pay Tk 50 in Bangladesh and $1 abroad in order to change their name, the names of their parents, or their address.
Applicants can now collect any corrected documents in Bengali and English free of charge. Registration corrections had previously cost Tk 500 in Bangladesh and $10 abroad.
Duplicate copies of documents in Bangla and English can be obtained for a Tk 50 fee in Bangladesh and $1 abroad. The fee had previously been Tk 100 in Bangladesh and $2 abroad, according to bdnews24 report.
A birth certificate contains identification information such as an individual’s official name, sex, birth date, location of birth, the names of their parents, their nationality and their permanent address.
The birth certificate is necessary to obtain a passport, a marriage licence, admission to educational institutions, employment appointments, driving licence, a spot on the voter list, open a bank account, obtain an import and export licence, gas, water, telephone and electricity connections, to receive a tax identification number, to obtain design approval for homes, car registration, and to obtain a trade licence and national ID card.
A death certificate contains the deceased’s name, their date of death, their location of death and the names of their parents and spouses. The certificate is necessary to receive inherited property or a family pension.
The government previously revised the birth and death registration fees on Mar 2.