Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi announced on Thursday that tourist visas for Bangladesh nationals will resume from Sunday, June 28, 2026, at five visa application centres across the country, including Dhaka. The announcement was made at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) at Jamuna Future Park.
Resumption of Normal Visa Operations
Trivedi stated, "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. We will continue to facilitate medical visas on urgent visas on humanitarian consideration and grounds." The visas will be issued from centres in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Sylhet, and Khulna, with plans to expand further in the future.
Background of Visa Suspension
The resumption comes two years after the High Commission of India was forced to scale down visa operations due to security threats. On August 5, 2024, the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhanmondi was ransacked and set on fire, and five IVACs in different cities came under attack. Indian personnel working on development projects were also threatened. Despite these challenges, the High Commission continued to operate visa centres in five cities for medical and emergency visas, issuing over 1,500 visas daily across all categories except tourist visas.
New High Commissioner Presents Credentials
Trivedi, who arrived in Dhaka by road on June 12 through the Petrapole-Benapole border, presented his credentials to Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin at the presidential palace, Bangabhaban, earlier on Thursday. He was welcomed with a guard of honour. President Shahabuddin expressed hope that Trivedi would contribute to the development of bilateral ties during his tenure.
Strengthening People-to-People Ties
Trivedi emphasized that the resumption of tourist visas would strengthen people-to-people ties between the two sovereign nations. He succeeds Pranay Kumar Verma, who served as high commissioner for four years until May 2026. Trivedi is a former member of parliament from West Bengal's Barrackpore and served as a union minister during the UPA era, holding portfolios of minister of state for health and family welfare and the railway ministry.
