EC plans NID registration for primary school students

The Election Commission (EC) is planning to lower the age threshold for national identity card (NID) registration, bringing children aged between six and 16 under the service.

As an initial step, the commission has proposed using government primary schools to collect and register children's information. However, the proposal is still under review, and no final decision has been made.

Officials concerned with the matter at the Election Commission disclosed the plan on Saturday (November 7).

The issue of registering the identities of minors received particular attention at a recent policy-level meeting of the commission. At the meeting, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed proposed collecting information and registering children aged between six and 16 through government primary schools. Under the proposal, school-based data collection could help establish an integrated database of children.

Election Commissioner Abul Fazl Md Sanaullah has directed officials to organise a workshop to determine the next steps. He chairs the committee on the use of information technology in national identity cards, voter lists and election management. The director general of the NID wing has been tasked with preparing recommendations after gathering opinions from relevant experts and stakeholders at the workshop.

If implemented, the EC's new plan would allow children's identity information to be registered from an earlier age. However, the commission has yet to announce the registration procedures, required documents or implementation timeline.

Meanwhile, a key development in the NID registration age limit is that the Election Commission's decision to register citizens aged 16 and 17 took effect on February 22, 2026. The latest proposal is therefore aimed primarily at extending registration services to younger children. Those registered will be included in the voter list once they turn 18.

According to the latest updated voter list, the country has a total of 128,777,643 registered voters. Of them, 65,510,665 are men, 63,265,711 are women and 1,267 are third-gender voters.