Update: 31 August, 2015: It is now possible to get Bangladesh visa on arrival on the land ports too beside the international airports. This article has been updated accordingly.

Citizens of most countries require a valid visa to enter Bangladesh. You can take Bangladesh visa from your country of origin, or the country you are coming from to Bangladesh. Also, there is an option for getting Bangladesh Visa on Arrival (VOA) from the international airports in Bangladesh and all the land ports. Bangladesh government has eased it’s visa policy and introduced the Visa on Arrival (VOA) to ease coming of foreigners here for tourism and business purpose.

Where is Bangladesh Visa on Arrival provided?

You can get visa on arrival on all the international airports. Also from the recent change in the visa policy, it is now possible to get on arrival visa from the land borders too.

Duration of Bangladesh visa on arrival

You can get a visa on arrival for a maximum duration of 30 days, which is expandable once you are inside Bangladesh by applying to the Department of Immigration Authority.

Entry type of Bangladesh visa on arrival

Visa on arrival provided in the international airports is single entry only. You can not get any multiple entry visa on arrival.

Who are eligible to get Bangladesh visa on arrival?

The nationals of those countries where there is no diplomatic mission of Bangladesh may be granted visa on arrival after examining the genuineness of their visit.

If any foreign national arrives in Bangladesh from a country other than his/her own country where there is no mission of Bangladesh, may be issued a visa on arrival.

On the basis of invitation letters of interested/required body being attested by the Board of Investment/BEPZA, the foreign investors/businessmen may be allowed to issue a visa on arrival. In this case, interested/inviting organization must inform in advance the arrival of the foreign visitor(s) to the immigration and passport authority.

Only for the purpose of official duty, business, investment, and tourism, citizens arriving from USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russian Federation, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, UAE, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and the countries of Europe may issue visa on arrival after examining and being satisfied by the immigration authority at the Airports and Land Ports.

Bangladeshi origin foreign citizens, their spouses, and their off-springs may be issued a visa on arrival, on the proof of their being Bangladeshi origin.

The staffs/officials of the foreign Missions, UN or its affiliated organizations located in Bangladesh may be issued a visa on arrival after examining their appointment letters or other related documents. Only UN passport holders will get such facilities gratis (free of charge).

What are the requirements for getting Bangladesh visa on arrival?

Visa fees are to be paid in foreign currencies (USD/GBP/EURO).

Visitor must possess minimum USD 500 or its equivalent amount of foreign currency in cash or credit card.

Visitors must have return ticket.

Must have necessary documents to justify his/her visit.

No visa fee will be applicable for the visitors from these countries which are exempted from visa fee.

On arrival visa fee will be applicable on the basis of reciprocity only.

The concerned intelligence agency must collect complete information of visitors to take necessary action. The immigration authority at Airports and Land Ports will send a monthly report on this issue to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Immigration and Passports.

Visa on arrival shall be issued only after being satisfied with the purpose of the visit. In case of foreign military or defense forces, prior approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs must be taken.

Bangladesh visa on arrival fees

Fees for all type of visa from Bangladesh could be found here. These are the fees people from different countries have been paid for Bangladesh visa on arrival, including the name of the person who reported it:

New Zealand – $51 USD – John Utting (May, 2018)

– $51 USD – John Utting (May, 2018) Japan – Free – Aya Suzuki (April, 2018)

– Free – Aya Suzuki (April, 2018) USA – $51 USD – Jacob Strauss (February, 2018)

– $51 USD – Jacob Strauss (February, 2018) USA – $51 USD – Thomas Verbeten (February, 2018)

– $51 USD – Thomas Verbeten (February, 2018) Australia – $51 USD – Anne Thorpe (February, 2017)

– $51 USD – Anne Thorpe (February, 2017) Netherlands – $51 USD – Simon Hinrik (June, 2015)

– $51 USD – Simon Hinrik (June, 2015) Ireland – $51 USD – James Galvin (June, 2015)

– $51 USD – James Galvin (June, 2015) England – $51 USD – Steven Bailey (December, 2014)

Bangladesh visa on arrival tips

Some useful tips from the travelers who got Bangladesh visa on arrival before:

Just as you enter the immigration hall, the VOA desk is on the right, before all the long queues in front of you at the desks. You pay the man in the bank booth, get a receipt, then fill out the form that the officer will give you.

Make sure you have an address where you’ll be staying. They are very strict about that. Even if you don’t stay there, choose a well know hotel where foreigners normally stay. A phone number is needed too. No need for a photograph.

The bank is about the first thing you see on the right just as you enter the building in a little cubbyhole. It saves a step just to get the payslip there on the way.

There should be no problem at all obtaining a visa on arrival. It will cost you 51 USD in cash and it is valid for up to 30 days. You request how long you would like it for.

Once you have the visa, use the queue at the far left to pass through immigration. It’s the desk for airline crew and diplomats. No need to queue again under the VOA sign.

Bangladesh visa on arrival experiences

These are the experiences of people from different countries who got Bangladesh visa on arrival:

We got a VOA as it was cheaper and easier than getting it before we traveled. At Dhaka airport, it was a simple process. We got off the plane, went straight to a little desk where a man sat, presented our British passports and filled out a form requesting the address of the hotel we were staying at. (We did not have to provide documents confirming this booking or our length of stay at this hotel). He asked how long we were staying in Bangladesh (3 weeks) then stamped a visa authorization form and told us to take it to the window beside him (3 steps away) where a man took the paper and asked for $50 each. (I don’t think you can pay in GBP). He stamped a separate piece of paper with a visa stamp and sent us to passport control where we showed the paper and went through. Our passports were never stamped. The whole process took about 15 minutes. There was not a queue for the visa as we were the only 2 people on the plane that needed one. I could imagine if a whole load of people turned up on one flight needing visas, it would be chaos as there is only one desk. – Steve Bailey, England

December 2014

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Update: 01 November, 2016

An insider fact about Bangladesh visa on arrival

Probably the fact about which most people get confused about getting on arrival visa for Bangladesh is the clause that says “people who are eligible to get a Bangladesh visa on arrival, if coming from a country where there is a Bangladesh mission, will not get the Bangladesh visa on arrival. Instead, they MUST apply in that country for a Bangladesh visa before arriving in Bangladesh.” If you contact the nearby Bangladesh mission, they will remind you about this clause and will advise you to apply for the visa before arriving in Bangladesh.

Seeing so many people getting confused regarding this clause about Bangladesh visa on arrival every day, and getting so many comments on this post and emails regarding this, I am adding this insider information today in this post on their rescue. Although it is the official rule that you must apply for a visa beforehand if the country you are coming from has a Bangladesh mission, the fact is, Bangladeshi immigration officers are so hospitable, they NEVER bother to check where you are coming from!

If you are from the above-listed country who are eligible to get a Bangladesh visa on arrival, you can come to this country without any tension and get your Bangladesh visa on arrival. They will just check if you have a passport of the above-listed country who are eligible to get a Bangladesh visa on arrival – NOTHING ELSE! Now, I am not an official to guarantee you that you will get a visa on arrival in Bangladesh, and it is always safe to get a Bangladesh visa before you arrive here, but this is the insider fact which we see day in day out with most of the people who travel Bangladesh with us. Have a nice trip to Bangladesh! 🙂

Have you got a Bangladesh visa on arrival recently? How was your experience? Which nationality you have and how much did the visa cost you? Share with us in comments which will help others to know more about Bangladesh visa on arrival.

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