Cabinet approves signing of Apostille Convention, Tk500cr to be saved annually

The Cabinet on Monday approved the signing of the Apostille Convention which expectedly will save nearly Tk 500 crore annually.

Once signed, this international convention will eliminate the need for further authentication of various certificates, documents, and affidavits of Bangladeshis going abroad if they have been duly authenticated in Bangladesh.

“This will save an estimated Tk500 crore per year,” said Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud in reply to a question from journalists at his ministry in Dhaka’s Segun Bagicha on Monday afternoon, reports UNB.

The minister said: "This proposal was passed by the Cabinet on Monday. Once implemented, all documents that need to be authenticated for Bangladeshis going abroad, including students, workers, and those travelling to meet family members, will only need to be authenticated in this country."

"Not all countries have embassies in Bangladesh. There are embassies of 90 countries in Delhi. To get authentication from there, one needs to obtain Indian visa. The money, time, and effort spent on all these will be saved if we join this convention, and we will save Tk400 to Tk500 crore per year," he said.

Informing that it will take about six months for this to come into effect, the foreign minister said, “To join the Apostille Convention, we have to inform 126 member states, and there are some formalities.