India To Resume Tourist Visas for Bangladesh Nationals From June 28: High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi

Dhaka, Bangladesh: Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi announced on Thursday that tourist visa services for Bangladeshi citizens will resume from Sunday, June 28, 2026, at five visa application centres across Bangladesh.

The move marks a significant normalisation of visa operations, which were scaled down two years ago following security concerns. Speaking at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) at Jamuna Future Park, Trivedi expressed optimism about the decision’s impact on bilateral relations.

“I am very happy to announce that we are resuming our normal visa applications for tourist visas, which can be submitted from Sunday, 28th June 2026,” he said.

“We will continue to facilitate medical visas on urgent humanitarian grounds,” he said.

The five centres, located in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Sylhet, and Khulna, will begin processing tourist visa applications immediately, with plans for further expansion in the coming months. Trivedi added that the resumption is expected to “further strengthen the people-to-people ties between our sovereign nations.”

The announcement came on the same day Trivedi formally presented his credentials to Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban. He was received with full ceremonial honours, including a guard of honour. President Shahabuddin welcomed the new envoy and expressed hope that he would play a key role in advancing bilateral cooperation during his tenure.

Trivedi, who arrived in Dhaka by road via the Petrapole-Benapole border on June 12, succeeds Pranay Kumar Verma, who served as High Commissioner for four years until May 2026. A former Member of Parliament from Barrackpore in West Bengal, Trivedi previously served as Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and later for Railways in the UPA government.

Background on Visa Suspension

Visa services were significantly curtailed after attacks on Indian facilities on August 5, 2024. The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhanmondi was ransacked and set ablaze, while five IVACs in different cities came under attack. Indian personnel working on development projects also faced threats, prompting the High Commission to limit operations for security reasons.

Despite the challenges, the mission continued issuing medical and emergency visas on a priority basis, processing more than 1,500 visas daily across categories (excluding tourist visas). Humanitarian needs, particularly for patients seeking critical medical treatment in India, were prioritised throughout the period.

The resumption of tourist visas is seen as a positive step towards restoring normalcy in people-to-people contacts between the two neighbours.

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