Bangladesh Visa Guide 2026: Visa on Arrival, Online Applications and Entry Rules

Most visitors need a visa for Bangladesh, and there are two realistic ways to get one. You can apply in advance through the online form at visa.gov.bd and your nearest Bangladesh mission. Or, if your nationality is on the official list, you can take a 30-day visa on arrival at Dhaka airport for US$50 in cash. Foreign citizens of Bangladeshi origin, their spouses and their children can apply instead for a No Visa Required (NVR) endorsement that lasts as long as the passport. As of October 2026 there is still no e-visa issued entirely online.

Facts checked October 2026. Bangladesh is replacing its 2006 visa rules with a new Visa Policy 2026, so confirm every detail on the official portals linked below and with your nearest Bangladesh mission before you book flights.

Bangladesh visa options at a glance

Fees vary by nationality and mission because many are set on a reciprocal basis. The figures above are London examples, checked in October 2026.

Who needs a visa for Bangladesh?

Citizens of most countries need a visa, including travellers from the UK, the EU, the US, Canada and Australia. Whichever route you choose, your passport should:

• be valid for at least six months (the UK government measures this from the date the visa is issued),
• have at least two blank pages,
• be undamaged, with no torn or tampered pages.

Bangladesh's embassy in Washington and the High Commission in London both stress that a visa's validity begins on the date of issue, not the date you travel. Bear that in mind when you choose when to apply.

Option 1: apply for a visa before you travel

A visa issued in advance is the most predictable way in. For most travellers, it is also the only option for longer stays or for nationalities without visa on arrival. Canada's official travel advice, updated on 14 October 2026, recommends getting your visa before you travel. It warns that people who rely on a visa on arrival risk being refused entry.

How the online application works

1. Complete the online form (the Machine Readable Visa, or MRV, form) at visa.gov.bd, the portal the Department of Immigration and Passports links to for online visa applications. The London mission says manually filled forms are not accepted. It advises against filling in the form on a Mac, and suggests switching to a browser such as Chrome if it will not load. It also says to avoid special characters and skip the payment section of the form.
2. Download and print the completed application, then sign it.
3. Book an appointment or check submission rules with your mission. London accepts applications only by prior appointment; Washington accepts walk-ins, authorised agents and mail.
4. Submit your documents and pay the fee. Fees are non-refundable, even if the visa is refused.
5. Collect your passport. London quotes at least seven working days (21 working days by post). Washington says seven working days is usual. Both say some cases need clearance from Dhaka and cannot be speeded up.

Documents most missions ask for

• the signed, printed application form and two colour photos with a white background,
• your passport, plus a copy of the photo page,
• proof of residence if you are applying outside your country of nationality,
• an invitation from a host in Bangladesh, or a hotel booking,
• proof of funds, such as three months of bank statements (London's requirement).

Both London and Washington advise against buying flight tickets until your passport and visa are back in your hands.

Tourist visa

In London, a tourist visa is issued for a maximum of three months with a single entry. It covers holidays, family visits, conferences, study tours and religious events, and the Department of Immigration and Passports in Dhaka can extend it by up to one month. As of October 2026, British nationals pay £105 for a visa of up to six months (single, double or multiple entry). Longer multiple-entry visas cost more: £300 for one year, £695 for five.

Insider tip: Because the visa clock starts on the day it is issued, apply around a month before departure. That leaves time for the standard seven working days of processing, with a margin, while the visa's validity still covers your whole trip.

Business visa

Business travellers need two letters:

• An invitation from the Bangladeshi company or organisation, addressed to the mission, giving your name, passport number, the purpose of the visit and how long you will stay.
• A letter from your own employer introducing you, confirming your job and explaining why you are going.

Under the rules London applied in October 2026, a business visa can be valid for up to a year, with single, double or multiple entries and a maximum of 60 days per visit. With a local sponsor and police clearance, the Department of Immigration and Passports can extend it. A business visa does not allow you to work: employment needs a work permit.

Canada's official advice also says business-visa holders must show an Income Tax Clearance or Income Tax Exemption Certificate when they leave Bangladesh, so ask your sponsor about this before you fly. Our business travel guide to Dhaka covers the rest of the trip, from districts to meeting etiquette.

Option 2: visa on arrival

Who is eligible

According to the official Special Branch (immigration police) instructions, citizens of the following countries travelling for tourism, trade, investment or a government job may get a visa on arrival: the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Turkey, Brunei and European countries. Visas on arrival can also be granted to:

• people arriving from a country with no Bangladesh embassy, if the trip is justified,
• staff of foreign embassies and UN offices in Bangladesh,
• foreign citizens of Bangladeshi birth or origin and their spouses and children,
• foreign investors and traders with an invitation letter and a certificate from the investment authorities. The inviting company must tell the immigration authorities in advance.

The visa is issued at the immigration officer's discretion. It is not guaranteed, even if your nationality is listed.

Fee and payment

The official instructions set the fee at US$50, excluding processing fees ("or the amount set by the authority"), paid to the Sonali Bank counter in the visa-on-arrival area. Only cash is accepted. Another official Special Branch page says fees can be paid in US dollars, euros or pounds sterling, and the bank counter also exchanges currency. Processing charges come on top of the US$50, so carry a little more than the headline fee.

What to carry

• a passport valid for at least six months,
• a return or onward ticket,
• your hotel booking or your host's details,
• proof of funds: the official page asks for at least US$500 in cash or a credit card, unless you are travelling on government duty,
• for business trips, an invitation letter,
• for travellers of Bangladeshi origin, proof such as an old Bangladeshi passport or a citizenship certificate.

Pre-register online

The Special Branch runs an online visa-on-arrival service at voa.specialbranch.gov.bd, linked from the immigration police portal. You sign up with an email address and choose either "On Arrival" or "Transit". You enter your details exactly as they appear in your passport and upload a recent facial photo, your passport's photo page and any invitation letter. Once you submit, track the application on the dashboard and print the Acknowledgement Receipt from the dashboard or the approval email.

What happens at the airport

At Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the visa-on-arrival area is at the bottom right of the escalator down to Arrivals. Pay at the Sonali Bank counter, then join the visa queue beside it with your receipt and printed acknowledgement. Expect questions about the purpose of your visit, how long you will stay and where. Then go through immigration, collect your bags and clear customs.

Dhaka is the only port the instructions name. Some official pages say other airports and land ports can also grant visas on arrival, but if you are relying on one, enter through Dhaka. Our Dhaka airport guide walks through the arrivals hall step by step.

Insider tip: The official instructions ask for a printed copy of your acknowledgement receipt, and you may have no mobile data until you have bought a local SIM. Print the receipt, your hotel confirmation and your return ticket before you leave home.

Know the limits

A visa on arrival gives you up to 30 days on a single entry. Rules can change at short notice. In January 2026 the government announced a month-long suspension of visas on arrival around the 12 February general election, then cancelled it on 14 January before it took effect. If your trip cannot absorb a refusal at the border, get the visa in advance. A board meeting, a family wedding and a pre-paid Sundarbans cruise all fall into that category.

Option 3: No Visa Required (NVR) for travellers of Bangladeshi origin

The NVR is an endorsement placed in a foreign passport. According to the Washington embassy, it lets foreign nationals of Bangladeshi origin (except citizens of SAARC countries), their spouses and their children enter Bangladesh multiple times for the whole validity of that passport. For diaspora families it is usually the simplest long-term option.

What you will need, based on the London High Commission's requirements in October 2026:

• Main applicant: the online form from visa.gov.bd, a photo, a copy of the foreign passport, and proof of Bangladeshi origin, such as a Bangladeshi passport, national ID card or birth certificate.
• Spouse: a copy of the Bangladeshi spouse's document, plus a registered marriage certificate or Nikah Nama. London asks both spouses to attend the interview.
• Child: the child's birth certificate naming the parent, plus the parent's Bangladeshi document.

London charges £70 and takes five to seven working days for in-person applications, or 21 days by post. The High Commission's own guidance is blunt: "NVR is never an urgent service." When you renew your foreign passport, you will need a new NVR, so plan ahead.

Insider tip: Apply as a family. A spouse's or parent's NVR does not qualify anyone else, so each person needs their own documents proving the link to Bangladesh.

Transit through Dhaka

If you are connecting through Dhaka and want to leave the airport, the official visa-on-arrival portal has a separate Transit application type. Ask your airline before you fly if your connection needs one.

E-visa status and the new Visa Policy 2026

The Bangladesh embassy in Washington says plainly that an "E-visa has not yet been introduced by the Government of Bangladesh". That still held in October 2026: the online form at visa.gov.bd is an application you print and submit to a mission, not a visa issued online.

The system is changing, though. On 10 August 2026 the cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, approved a draft Visa Policy 2026 to replace the 2006 rules. In late August and early September, The Daily Observer and Aviation & Tourism Times reported that the Home Ministry had approved and issued it. As of October 2026, however, we could not find the published text on the Department of Immigration and Passports website, and mission pages still describe the older rules. The reported changes include:

• 34 visa categories, up from 33,
• business visas of up to one year with stays of up to 90 days per entry, extendable to two years,
• new medical-tourism, medical-attendant and transit categories,
• tiered daily fines for overstaying (see below),
• provision for an electronic visa system, though no e-visa portal has opened.

We will update this guide when the official text is published. Until then, follow your mission's instructions.

E-arrival and e-departure cards

Foreign passport holders can fill in Bangladesh's arrival and departure cards online through the Special Branch's e-Arrival Card portal. Immigration police confirmed the online launch on 19 August 2026, according to press reports. The arrival form asks for:

• your passport details,
• your flight and purpose of visit,
• your address in Bangladesh (hotel or home, with district and thana, or police station area),
• a local phone number and email address,
• your visa details.

You can add family members to the same submission. The UK government tells travellers they may need an electronic arrival card before entering and an electronic departure card before leaving. When the online cards launched in August 2026, paper cards were still accepted at the airport and no cut-off date had been announced.

Health and customs rules at the border

• Yellow fever: the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Bangladesh requires proof of vaccination for travellers aged one year or older who arrive from a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission. That includes anyone who spent more than 12 hours in transit at an airport in such a country. Travellers flying from Europe or North America without such a transit do not need it.
• Cash: Canada's official advice (updated 14 October 2026) says to declare funds above US$5,000 or Tk 5,000, or the equivalent, when you enter or leave. It adds that you cannot leave with more US dollars than you declared on arrival. To change taka back into dollars, you need a ticket out of Bangladesh.
• Medicines: carry prescription medicines with your prescription or a letter from your doctor, as the UK government advises.

For safety advisories and practical precautions once you are in the country, read Is Bangladesh safe for tourists?.

Extensions and overstaying

Extensions are handled by the Department of Immigration and Passports, in Agargaon, Dhaka. The Special Branch warns that extending a visa on arrival can take several visits on different days. If you expect to stay longer than 30 days, get a longer visa before you travel. Don't count on a mission abroad to extend it: the Washington embassy, for example, issues new visas only.

Fines for overstaying are charged per day. Two press reports on the Visa Policy 2026, from August and September 2026, put them at:

• Tk 1,000 a day for overstays of up to 15 days,
• Tk 2,000 a day for days 16 to 90,
• Tk 3,000 a day beyond 90 days.

Long overstays can lead to prosecution under the Foreigners Act 1946. Some official pages still quote much lower, older rates, so don't rely on them. Never plan to overstay.

Pre-flight checklist

• Passport valid for six months or more, with two blank pages.
• A visa in your passport, or an eligible nationality plus a printed visa-on-arrival acknowledgement.
• At least US$50 in cash for the visa-on-arrival fee, plus US$500 in cash or a credit card.
• Return ticket and hotel confirmation; browse 5-star hotels in Dhaka if you still need one.
• Invitation and employer's letters for business trips.
• E-Arrival Card completed online, or a pen for the paper card.
• Yellow fever certificate, if you are arriving from or via a risk country.
• Travel insurance, scans of your passport and visa, and the latest government travel advice.

Next steps

Once your visa is sorted, plan your arrival with our Dhaka airport guide and choose a base with where to stay in Dhaka. The neighbourhood pages for Gulshan and the airport area list our selected hotels. For the bigger picture, from seasons to money and etiquette, start with our Bangladesh travel guide for first-time visitors and the best time to visit Bangladesh.