Govt launces 'on-arrival visas', issuance in just 10 minutes

Home Affairs Adviser, Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, has announced the launch of 'on-arrival visa' system for foreign nationals in Bangladesh, "with a quick processing time of just 10 minutes".

He made the announcement at a press conference on 'on-arrival visas' for foreign nationals, held by SB Immigration at the Home Ministry’s meeting room in the Secretariat on Thursday (February 13).

To obtain this visa, the passenger must apply online and submit all required information. They will then receive a code, which they can present at the airport. Upon payment in dollars, the visa will be issued within 5 to 10 minutes. This visa will be valid for one month.

"The only time required will be for depositing the payment at Sonali Bank. Visa payments can be made via card or cash," the adviser said.

The adviser further shared a plan on removing police verification to make passport issuance easier, stating, "While verification is still required, efforts are underway to simplify the process, with the aim of eventually eliminating verification altogether."