DHAKA, Bangladesh, June 30 (ANI) — Indian Visa Application Centers (IVACs) in Bangladesh have resumed accepting tourist visa applications after a nearly two-year suspension, drawing large crowds of applicants eager to travel to India for tourism, medical treatment, and other purposes.
In Dhaka, long lines formed outside the IVAC at Jamuna Future Park as applicants submitted their documents and welcomed the restoration of tourist visa services.
“I’ve come here to get a medical visa. I have submitted my papers. The services and everything are very good. Two years ago, I had some problems, but now it is very good,” visa applicant Chandra Roy told ANI.
“Of course, it is useful. For medical purposes or tourism, both are essential for Bangladeshis, especially medical services,” he said.
“After a long time, the tourist visa has opened. Because of that, everybody wants to go abroad. They want to visit India, like in the old days,” Roy added.
Another applicant, Shakila Akter Seema, said she had applied for a medical visa to continue treatment in India.
“I have come here for an Indian visa, mainly for a medical visa. I receive treatment in Chennai and also at Manipal Hospital in Kolkata. I had also received a six-month medical visa previously,” she said.
“The doctor asked me to return, which is why I applied for a new medical visa. Most people from our country travel to India for medical treatment, whether to Chennai or elsewhere. I went to Manipal Hospital last time for a check-up and was very satisfied with the treatment, so I am going again,” she added.
On June 25, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi announced that tourist visa services would resume on June 28 at five visa centers, including the facility in Dhaka. The announcement came after he presented his credentials to Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin.
Trivedi formally presented his credentials during a ceremonial reception at Bangabhaban, the presidential residence, where he was welcomed with a guard of honor.
During their meeting, Shahabuddin welcomed the new Indian High Commissioner and expressed hope that Trivedi would further strengthen bilateral ties between Bangladesh and India during his tenure.
Following the ceremony, Trivedi visited the IVAC at Jamuna Future Park to review visa operations and officially announced the resumption of tourist visa services.
Visa operations in Bangladesh had been significantly reduced after Aug. 5, 2024, when the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhanmondi was ransacked and set on fire. Five Indian Visa Application Centers in different cities also came under attack, while Indian personnel working on development projects received threats.
Because of the security situation and attacks on Indian diplomatic facilities, the High Commission of India scaled back visa services across Bangladesh.
Despite the security challenges, the High Commission continued operating visa centers in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet, and Rajshahi to meet humanitarian needs. Priority was given to medical and emergency visa applications, with special arrangements made to assist applicants requiring urgent travel.
India has continued issuing more than 1,500 visas daily across all categories except tourist visas.
Trivedi arrived in Dhaka by road on June 12, entering Bangladesh through the Petrapole-Benapole border crossing.
He succeeds Pranay Kumar Verma, who served as India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh for four years until May.
A former Member of Parliament from Barrackpore in West Bengal, Trivedi previously served as India’s Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and later as Minister for Railways during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
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