Indian Visa Service Resumes, Bringing Relief to Travellers

Bangla Press Desk:  In December 2025, Sami Al Nafis Niloy, a student from Mirpur, wanted to take his father to India for treatment after he suffered a heart attack. Despite applying well in advance, he failed to obtain a visa and eventually had to arrange his father's treatment in Bangladesh.

Now, with normal Indian visa services resuming after nearly two years, Niloy hopes to visit India as a tourist. He said he was able to submit his online application and secure an appointment with ease.

Speaking to bdnews24.com after submitting his application at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) at Jamuna Future Park on Wednesday, Niloy, who studies at a Japanese language institute in Uttara, said: "I submitted the application myself and got an appointment very easily. Since my fingerprints had already been registered, the process took very little time. Everything was completed within 30 to 35 minutes."

Although he was disappointed when he failed to obtain a medical visa during the period of restricted services, he is confident he will receive a tourist visa this time.

"We never want visa services to be suspended. People travel to India for treatment, tourism, and many other reasons. We want the visa process to remain normal."

After operating under severe restrictions for nearly two years, the Indian High Commission resumed accepting applications for all categories of visas from Jun 28. During the restricted period, only limited categories, including medical visas, were processed after extensive scrutiny.

Three days earlier, on Jun 25, India's new high commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, announced the resumption of visa application services.

Indian visa application centres were first closed on Jul 18, 2024, amid violence surrounding Bangladesh's July Uprising protests. Visa operations remained suspended on a daily announcement basis thereafter.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on Aug 5 in the face of a mass movement, India announced the indefinite closure of its visa application centres due to “instability”.

The centres reopened on a limited scale later that month. On Aug 16, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that only emergency and medical visas would be issued until the situation normalised.

As a result, thousands of Bangladeshi visa applicants faced significant difficulties. Many business travellers were unable to visit India, while even medical visa applicants struggled to secure appointments.

The situation remained unchanged throughout the roughly 18-month tenure of Muhammad Yunus's interim government. Relations between Bangladesh and India began improving after the BNP's victory in the general election held in February this year.

In mid-May, reports emerged that India would soon resume issuing tourist visas for Bangladeshis. About six weeks later, the announcement was officially made by High Commissioner Trivedi.

Applicants said that during the restricted period they first had to apply online and submit supporting documents to the High Commission. Only after verification were they given an appointment to submit their applications, and even then, relatively few visas were approved.

A visit to the world's largest Indian Visa Application Centre at Jamuna Future Park on Wednesday morning revealed a sense of relief among applicants following the resumption of full visa services.

Although there was a long queue before the centre opened at 9am, the line gradually shortened as the day rolled on, with only small queues remaining by midday.

Arman Hossain from Nilphamari had submitted a medical visa request for his wife four days earlier. On Wednesday, he received an appointment to submit the application and supporting documents.

Arman, who has no children, hopes to take his wife to India for fertility treatment.

"This is my first visa application. I got an appointment quite quickly. Now that normal services have resumed, I believe submitting applications will become much easier."

Housewife Samira travelled from Chuadanga to apply for three visas—one for her husband, who requires medical treatment, one for herself as an attendant, and another accompanying application.

Although she sought assistance from a travel agent to secure an appointment, she said the actual application submission process turned out to be straightforward.

"I've never handled visa applications before. But everything has been very easy. Alhamdulillah, I'm very happy."

She explained that they relied on an agent because they were unfamiliar with the procedures. Instead of the official fee of around Tk 1,500 per visa, the agent charged Tk 7,000 for each application.

"We didn't know the process. They said it would cost Tk 21,000 for three people, so we paid. We have to save the patient."

Another applicant from Ashashuni in Satkhira urged authorities to reopen all regional visa application centres, including the one in Satkhira.

He said he boarded a bus at 10pm and reached the visa centre around 9am before joining the queue.

"If we had a visa centre in Satkhira, we wouldn't have had to endure so much hardship. It would save us both time and money."

Housewife Tapashi Saha, who had just submitted her medical visa application on Wednesday morning, said she also hoped to do some travelling after completing her medical treatment (in India).

"I've come for a medical visa. I'll see my doctor first, and then I'll decide where to travel. I didn't face any problems. Everything went smoothly."

She expressed hope that visa services would remain uninterrupted.

"Previously, visas were issued in very limited numbers. Now it's better. I hope the visa process remains normal so everyone can travel without difficulty."

‘Time Slot Should Be Eased’

For a long time, visa applicants complained that although online applications were possible, obtaining a time slot to submit documents was extremely difficult.

To reduce these difficulties, the Indian High Commission introduced a new appointment management system from Jul 1.

Under the new system, applicants will automatically receive appointment dates based on IVAC's processing capacity after completing their online applications.

Previously, applicants had to select their own appointment slots, but available dates were often impossible to obtain. Many applicants alleged they were forced to rely on agents or brokers.

Applicants believe automatic appointment allocation will significantly reduce their suffering.

Mohammad Tapan from Keraniganj had been trying to obtain a double-entry Indian visa so he could travel to the Romanian Embassy in New Delhi. He finally secured an appointment after waiting for one and a half months.

Describing his ordeal, he said:

"I'm a victim myself. My appointment at the Romanian Embassy in Delhi keeps getting delayed. They gave me a date three months ago, but I've been trying to submit my visa application for one and a half months."

Welcoming the resumption of all visa categories, he urged authorities to simplify the appointment system.

"Now that services have resumed, please make the appointment system easier. Otherwise, we don't even get the chance to pay the visa fee. Server problems and other technical issues continue to create unnecessary suffering."

He added, "This initiative is appreciated, but it should be made even simpler so people can pay the visa fee easily. The suffering caused by appointment slots should come to an end."

Mohammad Pranto, who toured Kashmir, Delhi, Agra, and Amritsar in early 2024, now hopes to visit Shimla, Manali, Delhi, and Kolkata.

He visited IVAC from Kallyanpur to apply for a tourist visa and spoke while waiting in line.

"We're extremely happy that tourist visas have resumed after being suspended for so long. India is a neighbouring country where we can travel at relatively low cost."

He also suggested eliminating the appointment slot system altogether.

"It would be much better if the slot system were abolished. Because of it, many people demand excessive amounts of money, and it's very difficult to get an appointment. If the process became normal, it would be much better for us."