Bangladesh restores the “Except Israel” clause on passports

Bangladesh has reinstated the phrase “Except Israel” on its passports, six years after it was removed during the tenure of the former Awami League government.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an official order on Sunday instructing the Department of Immigration and Passports to take the necessary steps to implement the change.

According to ministry officials, the phrase will be included in all newly issued passports. They said the decision reflects Bangladesh’s foreign policy, public sentiment and its longstanding position on the Palestinian issue.

The order also approved revisions to the e-passport booklet’s design, including the rearrangement of existing images and changes to its watermark features.

The revised watermark design includes images commemorating martyrs of the July 2024 Mass Uprising, including Abu Sayed of Rangpur, Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdha of Uttara in Dhaka, and Wasim Akram of Chattogram. Symbols representing the country’s major religions have also been incorporated into the e-passport.

The e-passport system was introduced in 2020 at a cost of Tk4,500 crore during the Awami League government’s tenure. At that time, the phrase “Except Israel” was removed from Bangladeshi passports.

Previously, passports stated that they were valid for travel to all countries except Israel. Since the introduction of e-passports, various groups had repeatedly demanded the restoration of the phrase.

Following the BNP’s victory in the 13th parliamentary election and the formation of its government on 17 February 2026, the authorities began reviewing several elements of the passport design.

The Home Ministry subsequently held a series of meetings and submitted a summary to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who directed that several new images be added to the e-passport. The revised watermark design was approved through Sunday’s official order.

The new e-passports will feature watermarks depicting a range of national symbols, landmarks and cultural heritage sites, including the national flower water lily, the Royal Bengal Tiger, the Oriental Magpie-Robin or Doel, the Shaheed Minar, the National Memorial, Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the Supreme Court, Kantaji Temple, Shikha Anirban, Lalbagh Fort, Cox’s Bazar beach, Tanguar Haor, hilsa, Nilgiri, Ahsan Manzil, jackfruit, the Golden Temple, Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Rajshahi mango orchards, Panam City, Curzon Hall, the Sixty Dome Mosque, jute, tea gardens, the Sundarbans, the Holy Rosary Church and Zainul Abedin’s painting “Struggle”.

Several images have also been removed from the watermark design, including the mausoleum of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Tungipara, the Independence Monument at Suhrawardy Udyan, Model Mosque, the Bangabandhu Bridge, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre, Bangabandhu Satellite, Padma Bridge, Metro Rail, Cox’s Bazar beach with boats, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and the Mujibnagar Memorial.

Officials from the Department of Immigration and Passports said the phrase “Except Israel” would be incorporated into newly issued passports in phases in line with the latest directive.

Existing passport holders will not face any immediate complications and will receive the updated version when they renew their passports after their current documents expire.