Bangladesh restores ‘except Israel’ disclaimer on passports, barring travel
Amid widespread pro-Palestinian protests across the country, Bangladesh’s interim government has decided to bring back a passport restriction that effectively bans travel to Israel.
On 7 April, the Ministry of Home Affairs directed immigration authorities to reintroduce a clause stating that Bangladeshi passports are valid for travel to all countries except Israel.
Nilima Afroze, a deputy secretary at the ministry, told the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha news agency on Sunday that authorities issued a directive to restore the inscription, “THIS PASSPORT IS VALID FOR ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD EXCEPT ISRAEL.”
The country’s adviser for home affairs, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, approved and signed the order on Monday, officially implementing the decision.
Many on social media celebrated the decision, saying that the country is taking a stance against Israel and its ongoing war on Gaza, which has killed over 51,000 people, including more than 15,000 children.
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Bangladesh reinstates the ‘Except israel’ condition on its passports — a strong stand of solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza pic.twitter.com/NdZtiT95iD
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) April 13, 2025
The phrase saying valid for all countries "except Israel” had been printed on Bangladeshi passports for decades. It was removed in 2021, during the tenure of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, citing alignment with international passport standards.
The removal was met with intense public disapproval at the time.
Hasina’s government, which was overthrown in August amid widespread protests, came under fire for allegedly purchasing Israeli spyware to surveil political opponents, even though Bangladesh does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and does not recognise the country.
Many on social media celebrated the decision to reinstall the phrase in the passport, with some criticising the “deafening silence from Arab countries”.
#Solidarity with #Gaza and #Palestine. #Ireland, #Scotland, #Spain…and now: #Bangladesh announces reintroduction of phrase "This passport is valid for all countries in the world except #Israel." ‘Deafening’ silence from #Arab countries pic.twitter.com/CkS0K7uCP2
— Donato Yaakov Secchi (@doyaksec) April 14, 2025
On Saturday, at least 100,000 protesters filled the streets of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka in a massive rally for Gaza. Demonstrators demanded an end to Israel’s war on Gaza and waved Palestinian flags.
Against the backdrop of these recent protests, Bangladesh’s reinstallation of the phrase on passports has been met with positive reactions across the country and internationally.
Bangladesh is not the first nor the only nation to bar its passports from being used for travel to Israel. Several other states that do not recognise the state of Israel do not allow their citizens to travel there. These include Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and now Bangladesh.
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