DHAKA, Dec 4, 2025 (BSS)- A total of 170,104 overseas Bangladeshis have registered their names for voting in the upcoming 13th National Parliament election and referendum.

The names were registered through the Postal Vote BD app, according to the Election Commission (EC).

As per the latest update on the EC website, 1,51,907 male and 18,197 female expatriates have completed registration as of Thursday noon.

Country-wise registration includes: Saudi Arabia- 27,002; USA-18,893; Singapore-10,371; UK-9,647; South Korea- 9,434; Malaysia-9,101; Canada- 8,996; UAE–8,052; Australia-7,691; Japan- 6,881; Qatar-6,679; Italy – 6,360; Oman- 5,898; and South Africa- 4,751.

Salim Ahmad Khan, team leader of the Out of Country Voting (OCV) System Development & Implementation (SDI) Project, told BSS that the response has been positive. 

“Reaching overseas Bangladeshis is our main priority. While cyber security remains a concern, we are addressing it as we move forward,” he said.

He added that as of Wednesday morning, about 435,000 expatriates had downloaded the app on android devices, though full data on total downloads is not yet available.

The EC has extended the registration deadline via the Postal Vote BD app until 25 December from 11:59 pm on 18 December.

Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed said, The out-of-country voting registration period has been extended up to December 25 midnight (BST) to allow overseas Bangladeshis to register from anywhere from the world through the app.

He also noted that in-country postal voting (ICPV) will be introduced for government officials, voters in legal custody and government employees stationed outside their constituencies. 

Registration for ICPV will remain open for 15 days after the schedule is announced.

The Postal Vote BD app was inaugurated on November 18 by the Chief Election Commissioner, along with a registration for 148 designated countries. 

Overseas voters must use a mobile number from the country where they will cast their postal vote and provide an accurate address to ensure ballot delivery. 

The app can be downloaded from Google Play Store or Apple Store.