Bangladesh to Fully Resume Tourist Visa Services for Indian Nationals from Its Missions in India

Dhaka. Bangladesh will fully resume tourist visa services for Indian nationals from its diplomatic missions in India starting Monday, an official from the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed on Sunday.

The Bangladeshi government had temporarily suspended tourist visa services from its diplomatic missions in India citing security reasons. However, the official stated that services will now be expanded regularly, concluding that the overall situation has improved following the national election held on February 12.

According to the official, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and Bangladeshi missions in cities like Guwahati, Agartala, Mumbai, and Kolkata had continued issuing most visa services except for tourist visas. "Tourist visas were generally halted, although issued in essential cases," he said. He clarified that although a formal suspension was not announced, services were limited and will now resume widely starting Monday.

In the run-up to the election, Bangladeshi missions across India were instructed to suspend tourist visa services from January 15 to February 15. Only visas in the essential category were issued during that period. Citing security reasons, services for countries like Nepal and Bhutan, besides India, were also temporarily closed. The official informed that after review, all types of visa services have been fully operational again.

However, Indian tourist visa services for Bangladeshi nationals have not yet been fully opened. Only some special category visas are being issued.

Some tension was observed in India-Bangladesh relations during the tenure of the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus. However, following the February 12 election, signs indicate that bilateral relations are moving towards improvement after Prime Minister Tareque Rahman took charge.

A high-level Indian delegation led by Indian Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla participated in the oath-taking ceremony of the new cabinet and met with the Prime Minister. This latest move is seen as an indication of strengthening relations between the two countries.