At a steering committee meeting on 5 November, officials from the foreign affairs, finance and civil aviation ministries questioned the proposed fee, its applicability to arriving and departing passengers, and its potential impact on Bangladeshi migrant workers
Illustration: TBS
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Illustration: TBS
Highlights:
- Transsion plans to manufacture EVs, batteries and mobile phones in Bangladesh.
- The Chinese firm has requested 50 acres for manufacturing facilities.
- Government proposed Karim Jute Mills land through lease or partnership.
- Transsion seeks export cash incentives alongside existing tax benefits.
- Its three smartphone brands previously held 40.9% market share.
- Transsion already operates a Bangladesh factory producing one million phones monthly.
The government has raised concerns over the financial and data security implications of US-based Securiport’s proposal to charge $6.29 per international passenger for developing an Integrated Immigration Management System (IIMS), calling for independent assessments and tough negotiations before finalising a contract.
At a steering committee meeting on 5 November, officials from the foreign affairs, finance and civil aviation ministries questioned the proposed fee, its applicability to arriving and departing passengers, and its potential impact on Bangladeshi migrant workers.
Chaired by Home Ministry Senior Secretary Manzur Morshed Chowdhury, the meeting reviewed Securiport’s financial proposal and contractual terms, according to the minutes.
Then Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, now Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India, sought comparative fee data from other countries to assess the proposed rate’s competitiveness. He also called for safeguards covering server locations, data and system ownership, the company’s access to information and the government’s full control over the system.
Infograph: TBS
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Infograph: TBS
He urged the authorities to consider expatriates’ financial capacity, particularly that of Bangladeshis in the Middle East, and recommended independent expert assessments of the proposal’s technical and financial aspects.
Finance Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Majumder described the proposal as timely but called for scrutiny of investment, operational and maintenance costs, contract duration, passenger fees, collection mechanisms and potential government liabilities.
He also stressed the need for a legal basis for collecting APIS/PNR fees through international air tickets, Vat collection and contractual safeguards against unintended government liabilities.
A Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry representative sought clarification on whether the $6.29 fee would apply separately to arriving and departing passengers or cover both movements under a single charge.
Securiport submitted its detailed technical and financial proposal to the Home Ministry on 22 October, seeking to establish an integrated immigration and border management network across Bangladesh’s international entry and exit points.
Meanwhile, Singapore-based CrimsonLogic has expressed interest in developing Bangladesh’s airport APIS, with the matter discussed at a 18 May meeting between then Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afrozza Khanam and Singapore’s Ambassador Derek Loh Eu-Tse. The proposed cooperation also included an Aeronautical Revenue Management System.
Company unable to provide comparative fee details
According to the meeting minutes, Securiport’s representatives declined to disclose detailed fees charged in other countries, citing contractual confidentiality. They claimed the company charges $7 per passenger in an African country, compared with the $6.29 proposed for Bangladesh.
The committee asked the company to submit its complete Bill of Quantity (BoQ), Bill of Materials (BoM) and detailed technical specifications; clarify whether the fee would apply separately to arrivals and departures; and provide corporate documents for verification.
The US Embassy in Dhaka will be requested to verify the documents with the relevant issuing authorities.
Negotiations to begin next month
The Special Branch (SB) of police and the Department of Immigration and Passports will jointly recommend vendor-neutral technical specifications and estimated project costs.
Initial technical and commercial discussions involving the two agencies and Securiport are scheduled for 6 December, followed by formal negotiations to finalise a draft agreement.
A government official familiar with the process said the proposal is being considered under the Direct Procurement Method (DPM), following policy approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
Before proceeding, the government plans to verify the company’s credentials through the US Embassy, assess the competitiveness of the proposed fee through an independent expert organisation, and include financial safeguards in the contract.
Officials said the $6.29 fee might not cover the entire implementation cost, as other components could involve additional charges and the government would also have to bear direct costs.
Potential financial burden on passengers
Bangladesh recorded approximately 12.6 million international passenger movements in 2025, up from 6.45 million in 2023, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab).
More than 10 lakh Bangladeshi workers go abroad annually, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET). Airport officials estimate that arrivals and departures each account for roughly half of international passenger movements.
If collected once per movement, the proposed $6.29 fee would amount to approximately $79.2 million, or more than Tk950 crore, annually. If charged separately on arrival and departure, a migrant worker making a round trip could pay an additional Tk1,500.
What the proposed system will do
The proposed IIMS will modernise the existing system by providing immigration authorities with Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) data before flights arrive or depart. The information will be screened against Interpol databases and domestic watchlists to identify potential security risks.
The initiative began under Caab, which signed an MoU with the United Arab Emirates in December 2022 to explore introducing APIS and PNR systems. UAE state-owned Emirates Technology Solutions (Etek) was appointed to lead the project.
However, progress remained slow, and the contract was never renewed; the initiative subsequently moved under the Home Ministry, which invited Securiport to submit a detailed proposal after the company expressed interest in July.
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