Bangladesh Embassy in Paris moves to ease e-passport appointment crisis
The Bangladesh Embassy in Paris has introduced a special consular service to ease difficulties faced by Bangladeshi expatriates in securing online e-passport appointment for applications.
The initiative, launched on Saturday, allowed more than 80 applicants to submit their e-passport applications on the first day without prior appointments.
While welcoming the move, members of the Bangladeshi community in France called for further improvements to make consular services faster, more accessible and more user-friendly.
The embassy recently replaced its email-based appointment system with a website-based online booking platform. Under the new system, a limited number of appointment slots are released at specific times. However, many applicants have complained that they were unable to secure appointments despite repeated attempts due to technical issues and high demand.
One applicant said he had spent nearly an hour trying to book an appointment on Friday night, but the website repeatedly displayed error messages.
According to embassy officials, the special consular service has been introduced to cope with the growing number of e-passport applications and address recent appointment-related difficulties. As part of the first phase, the embassy will provide the service on 25 July, 8 August and 22 August.
The initiative is primarily intended to assist Bangladeshi expatriates who have scheduled appointments with French administrative authorities or prefectures for residence permit-related procedures and urgently require valid travel documents.
Bangladesh Embassy Second Secretary KFM Sharhad Shakil said the response to the first day of the programme had been overwhelmingly positive.
“More than 80 people received services on the opening day. In addition, all pending emails from applicants who previously sought e-passport appointments will be processed and replied to over the coming weeks,” he said.
Addressing complaints about the online appointment platform, Shakil said temporary technical issues could arise when a large number of users accessed the website simultaneously.
“We are working closely with our IT team to make the system more efficient, reliable and user-friendly for expatriates,” he added.
Responding to questions about staffing, the embassy official acknowledged that consular sections in many countries require additional manpower compared with the size of their expatriate communities.
“Any increase in staffing depends on government policy. Meanwhile, we are making every effort to provide the best possible service with our existing resources and capacity,” he said.
Local Bangladeshi volunteers also assisted the embassy during Saturday’s special consular service by helping applicants with information, queue management and procedural guidance, contributing to a smoother and more efficient service.
The embassy introduced the special initiative following widespread criticism within the Bangladeshi community in France over difficulties with the new online e-passport appointment system.
However, expatriates said the temporary service should be complemented by long-term improvements, including a more reliable online booking platform, an effective telephone helpline for urgent enquiries and expanded consular services to better meet the needs of the growing Bangladeshi community in France.
