On-Arrival Visas in Bangladesh to Be Issued in Just 10 Minutes with New Online App

The Government of Bangladesh has launched a new app based method for the issue of on-arrival visas for foreign travelers. Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury stated that “It takes around 45 minutes to an hour to receive on-arrival visas. If the system that is being introduced takes effect, it will take them just 10 minutes to get on-arrival visas,” at a press meeting today on 13th February 2025.

Also efforts are being made to simplify the process of issuing passports for Bangladeshis. The government is reportedly mulling the scrapping of police verification to facilitate faster issuance.  Adviser Jahangir Alam noted, “We’re also thinking about excluding police verification and looking into how smooth the process can be made. We’ll try to entirely nullify the need for police verification.”

How to Avail a Visa in 10 Minutes?

This new app based system will ensure that the information of incoming travelers is submitted online and successfully codes to their applicants. Upon arrival in Bangladesh they visit and present this code to complete the visa fee payment with cash or card to obtain a 30 day on-arrival visa in under 10 minutes. This simplified process significantly reduces the processing time compared to the previous method which could take up to 1 hour.

Who all are eligible for on-arrival visa?

Citizens from countries with which Bangladesh has agreements including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Turkey, Brunei and certain European countries can apply for a visa on arrival. Citizens from other countries will need prior permission from the Home Ministry to get their visas.