Bangladesh has quietly restarted issuing visas of **all categories** through its high commission in New Delhi and deputy missions in Kolkata, Mumbai, Guwahati and Agartala, ending a two-month suspension that had hobbled medical tourism and small-scale trade along the 4,000-km land border. According to senior diplomats quoted by The Daily Star, processing resumed on February 22 on a “limited scale”, with full-capacity operations expected within a week. The suspension was imposed in late December amid demonstrations outside Bangladeshi posts in India after Dhaka halted visas for Indian citizens during the country’s turbulent election period. The thaw follows a flurry of high-level contacts: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the funeral of former PM Khaleda Zia on 31 December, while Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla led a delegation to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s February 17 swearing-in.
![Bangladesh Restarts Visa Services at Missions in India, Paving Way for Cross-Border Travel]()
If travellers or businesses feel uncertain about navigating the revived but still fluid appointment queues, VisaHQ can step in to handle the paperwork end-to-end. Through its dedicated India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) the service provides updated checklists, embassy slot booking and courier pickup, helping applicants secure Bangladeshi visas—as well as permits for more than 200 other destinations—without standing in long lines at the consulate.
Bangladeshi officials say the “positive gestures” convinced Dhaka to normalise people-to-people ties. For Indian corporates the move restores a critical medical-travel bridge; over two million Bangladeshis sought treatment in India in 2023, generating an estimated ₹9,000 crore in healthcare revenue. Tour operators expect the resumption of tourist visas to revive cross-border bus services and short-haul flights, just as summer vacation demand begins to build. Indian companies sending technicians and project staff to Bangladesh should, however, note that reciprocal tourist visas for Bangladeshis remain suspended, and capacity constraints could lengthen appointment wait-times until new staffing is in place. Firms are advised to factor in a one-to-two-week buffer when planning travel in March.
If travellers or businesses feel uncertain about navigating the revived but still fluid appointment queues, VisaHQ can step in to handle the paperwork end-to-end. Through its dedicated India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) the service provides updated checklists, embassy slot booking and courier pickup, helping applicants secure Bangladeshi visas—as well as permits for more than 200 other destinations—without standing in long lines at the consulate.
Bangladeshi officials say the “positive gestures” convinced Dhaka to normalise people-to-people ties. For Indian corporates the move restores a critical medical-travel bridge; over two million Bangladeshis sought treatment in India in 2023, generating an estimated ₹9,000 crore in healthcare revenue. Tour operators expect the resumption of tourist visas to revive cross-border bus services and short-haul flights, just as summer vacation demand begins to build. Indian companies sending technicians and project staff to Bangladesh should, however, note that reciprocal tourist visas for Bangladeshis remain suspended, and capacity constraints could lengthen appointment wait-times until new staffing is in place. Firms are advised to factor in a one-to-two-week buffer when planning travel in March.
