Travel to India resumes via Akhaura on tourist visas after two years

Passenger travel to India on tourist visas has resumed after being suspended for nearly two years. The first Bangladeshi traveler crossed over to India through the Akhaura land port in Brahmanbaria using a tourist visa around 11:30am on Thursday (July 9).

According to port sources, Indian nationals have currently been arriving in larger numbers using tourist visas, while Bangladeshi nationals have primarily been traveling to India on medical visas.

Multiple sources indicated that passenger movement through the Akhaura land port has been rising over the last few days, and the number of Bangladeshi travelers is expected to increase further now that India has resumed issuing tourist visas.

Sources added that the first Bangladeshi passenger to cross the border on a tourist visa after the two-year hiatus is a resident of the Fulbaria area under Brahmanbaria municipality. He had applied for the visa on June 28 and received a six-month valid visa on July 8.

Md. Abdur Rahim, Sub-Inspector (SI) of Akhaura Land Port Immigration Police, confirmed that a Bangladeshi passenger departed for India on a tourist visa around 11:30am. He noted that since the issuance of visas commenced on July 8, the number of travelers is expected to grow in the coming days.

Following the post-August 5 situation in 2024, India had suspended its visa operations. The country resumed its tourist visa services after nearly two years. Indian Visa Application Centers (IVACs) in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Sylhet, and Khulna simultaneously began accepting applications on June 28, and travelers started receiving their visas on July 8.