Bangladesh’s interim administration on 8 January ordered its High Commission in New Delhi and consulates in Kolkata and Agartala to halt the bulk of visa processing for Indian residents, triggering immediate concern among travel agents moving technicians and merchandisers across the land border. Foreign-affairs adviser M. Touhid Hossain told reporters the closure is temporary but necessary after a spate of violent attacks on minority communities in Bangladesh sparked protests outside diplomatic missions.
Business, work and medical visas remain exempt, but all tourist and family-visit applications are paused. The move comes at an awkward time for companies scrambling to rotate staff before Ramadan factory shutdowns—especially in the ready-made-garment sector where Indian buying-house inspectors routinely cross the border every fortnight.
Diplomats in Dhaka say the decision also reflects frustration with Washington’s newly expanded visa-bond programme that now covers Bangladeshi travellers; Dhaka hopes to leverage regional solidarity to pressure the US to roll back the measure. India, for its part, has urged Bangladesh to protect minorities and restore normal consular operations quickly.
![Bangladesh Suspends Most Visa Services in India Citing ‘Security Issues’]()
Travel-management firms advise corporates to shift meetings online or route staff through Dhaka’s still-functioning e-Visa on arrival, though that entails higher fees and advance hotel bookings. Cross-border trucking companies are unaffected because driver-cards fall under a separate bilateral arrangement.
For individuals and firms scrambling to understand their options, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) tracks real-time consular advisories and can arrange alternate visa solutions—such as expedited business or medical visas—helping travelers maintain critical schedules despite the sudden suspension.
Should the suspension persist beyond a fortnight, immigration lawyers expect a backlog of at least 15,000 applications, potentially pushing the earliest appointment slots into March.
Business, work and medical visas remain exempt, but all tourist and family-visit applications are paused. The move comes at an awkward time for companies scrambling to rotate staff before Ramadan factory shutdowns—especially in the ready-made-garment sector where Indian buying-house inspectors routinely cross the border every fortnight.
Diplomats in Dhaka say the decision also reflects frustration with Washington’s newly expanded visa-bond programme that now covers Bangladeshi travellers; Dhaka hopes to leverage regional solidarity to pressure the US to roll back the measure. India, for its part, has urged Bangladesh to protect minorities and restore normal consular operations quickly.
Travel-management firms advise corporates to shift meetings online or route staff through Dhaka’s still-functioning e-Visa on arrival, though that entails higher fees and advance hotel bookings. Cross-border trucking companies are unaffected because driver-cards fall under a separate bilateral arrangement.
For individuals and firms scrambling to understand their options, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) tracks real-time consular advisories and can arrange alternate visa solutions—such as expedited business or medical visas—helping travelers maintain critical schedules despite the sudden suspension.
Should the suspension persist beyond a fortnight, immigration lawyers expect a backlog of at least 15,000 applications, potentially pushing the earliest appointment slots into March.
