Field-level NID correction raises fraud concerns
The Election Commission (EC) has once again delegated the authority to correct dates of birth or ages on national identity cards (NIDs) to election officials at the field level. Under a circular issued by the EC’s National Identity Registration Wing, applications for correcting dates of birth can now be processed at upazila or thana election offices, subject to specific conditions. The move aims to reduce public suffering and bring services closer to citizens. However, experts fear that expanding the authority to alter sensitive NID information at the local level could increase the risks of fraud, forged documents, bribery and political influence.
Anwar Hossain, a lecturer in the Department of Social Work at Jagannath University, said decentralising NID correction would reduce the cost and inconvenience faced by people living in remote areas. However, he warned that corruption and fraud could also increase. “Before 2025, people knew that they needed brokers to get NID corrections done. Financial transactions were involved and the process was often made complicated,” he said. He also shared a recent experience in which an official allegedly offered to complete an NID correction within a week in exchange for money, although the normal process would take two months or more.
The authority to correct age information had previously been available at the field level but was centralised in November 2025 to prevent misuse and irregularities involving sensitive information. The decision to return the authority to local offices within a few months has therefore raised fresh concerns. Past experiences have also fuelled concerns. In March 2025, reports emerged of brokers demanding Tk 15,000 to complete NID corrections within a day after online applications were rejected. Citizens have also complained of being charged additional money because of their lack of knowledge about the process and delays in obtaining corrections.
Date-of-birth correction is particularly sensitive because age is linked to employment eligibility and retirement, government benefits, passports, bank accounts and various legal matters. If a date of birth is changed using forged documents, the altered information could subsequently be used to modify other official records. Experts say the biggest challenge will be verifying documents submitted with correction applications, including birth certificates and SSC or equivalent certificates. Weak technological capacity at the local level could make verification more difficult and increase the risk of false information entering the NID database.
They stressed that decentralisation must be accompanied by strong central monitoring, document verification, data security and accountability. Otherwise, the initiative intended to reduce public suffering could create new opportunities for brokers, bribery and identity fraud. According to the EC circular signed by NID Wing Director (Operations) Md Saiful, applications classified under category ‘A’ for date-of-birth correction based on online-verifiable JSC, secondary or equivalent certificates may be settled by upazila/thana election officers, senior district/district election officers and assistant directors, deputy directors or directors of the NID Wing.
Other supporting documents must be processed according to the existing standard operating procedure. Officers must record notes in the central system when electronically approving or rejecting applications. Regional and additional regional election officers will monitor the work of officials under them and randomly review at least three applications handled by each officer every month. Corrections based on Open University certificates, as well as applications involving complete changes to a person’s name or parents’ names along with the date of birth, will require approval at the director-general level. A date of birth, name or parents’ names cannot be corrected a second time in the same field.
