EC to cancel pending NID applications over missing documents

The Election Commission (EC) has decided to cancel long-pending National Identity (NID) applications if applicants fail to complete biometric enrollment and provide the required digital signatures within the stipulated timeframe, official sources said.

The move aims to clear the backlog of incomplete applications and improve the efficiency of the EC's central database.

The commission has also ordered district and upazila election offices to remove old voter registration forms, known as Form-2, by October 31. However, original forms relating to voter registrations up to December 31, 2011, will be preserved in physical archives.

The EC has instructed election offices not to sell the old forms in the open market, as the documents contain sensitive personal information. Instead, the discarded papers must be sent to designated industrial facilities for pulping and recycling to prevent the misuse or leakage of voters' personal data.

Applicants who complete the online application for a new NID card must visit their respective upazila or thana election offices to complete the enrollment process. This includes having their photographs taken, fingerprints of all 10 fingers scanned, both irises recorded and digital signatures collected.

Under the new instructions, applications may be automatically cancelled if applicants fail to complete the process within the stipulated timeframe. Such applications will no longer remain active in the EC's database.

The initiative is intended to reduce the number of incomplete applications and ease pressure on the commission's servers, which store a large volume of pending records.

Applicants seeking corrections to their NID information may also face the dismissal of their applications if they fail to submit the required supporting documents or provide additional information requested by election officials.

The directive on physical records covers Form-2 documents dating from 2012 onward that have already been digitised and uploaded to the EC's central server. The preservation of older records is intended to maintain historical documentation and ensure institutional continuity.

The EC has emphasised that the disposal process must follow appropriate security measures to protect citizens' personal information.