The tourist visas can be submitted from June 28, while medical visas will continue to be prioritised on humanitarian grounds
In a significant step towards restoring bilateral travel, India will resume issuing tourist visas to Bangladeshi nationals from June 28 after a two-year suspension.
According to a press statement, visas will be issued through five Indian Visa Application Centres (IVACs) in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Sylhet and Khulna. The announcement was made by Dinesh Trivedi, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh during a visit to the IVAC in Dhaka.
Announcing the resumption, Trivedi said applications for tourist visas can be submitted from June 28, while medical visas will continue to be prioritised on humanitarian grounds. He added that the visa centres would continue operating across the five locations and that services could be expanded further.
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The High Commission has been issuing more than 1,500 visas daily across categories other than tourist visas during the suspension, with medical and emergency cases receiving priority.
The announcement came shortly after Trivedi presented his credentials to Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban. His appointment follows the end of Pranay Kumar Verma’s tenure as India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
The statement adds that tourist visa services had been suspended since 2024 after attacks on Indian diplomatic facilities and visa centres during the protests that led to the ouster of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The security situation forced the Indian High Commission to scale down visa operations, although medical and emergency visas continued to be processed.
