BANGLADESH CATCHES UP WITH INDIA IN VISA SERVICES

In an important development that will greatly benefit travellers from the eastern states of India, The Bangladesh Deputy High Commission based in Kolkata has announced that it will soon be opening its visa application centre in Kolkata. While India had outsourced its Visa Application in Bangladesh to Indian Visa Application Centres (IVAC) back in 2005, Bangladesh is now opening their first official visa application centre (VAC) in Kolkata, which at a mammoth 13,000 sq ft, is also the largest single country visa application centre in the city.

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Applicants will be able to submit their applications at the VAC located in Salt Lake Sector V, Kolkata between 9:00 am & 3 pm and collect their passports from 1 pm to 6 pm, Monday to Friday, every week. To ensure visitors a seamless experience in acquiring their visa to travel to Bangladesh, the processing fee for all categories of visas is now set at Rs 826 including GST per application, which is in line with what visitors to India pay at the visa application centre in Bangladesh currently. Further, no additional visa fee is applicable for Indians applying for the visa to Bangladesh.  

The brand new, state of the art Bangladesh VAC has 10 counters for accepting all categories of visas to Bangladesh including investor, intern, tourist, diplomatic, research, student, NGO, government delegate, journalist, business, employment and work permit, and tourist family. The centre also has three pre-screening desks and two form filling desks along with two passport return counters. To add to the convenience of the applicants, VAC shall also provide a free self-help desk to fill up the visa forms and a photo desk, photocopier services, private lounge and courier services etc. at nominal charges. Additionally, there are ample parking spaces for both cars and two wheelers. Moreover, the innovative centre ups the ante with amenities like an on-site cafeteria and prayer room.

The new facility will ensure an enhanced applicant-friendly experience as compared to the earlier system under which applicants had to submit their applications and documents directly at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission which was open only from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and had three counters. It was not uncommon to see long queues on the street outside the Deputy High Commission premises, with people sometimes waiting all night to ensure a place in the line-up, posing a serious security threat to the diplomatic mission. Most other consulates do not allow crowding in the vicinity to ensure security. 
Further, brokers and agents charged as much as Rs 12,500 as VISA fee, which will now be reduced significantly and streamlined to a standard Rs 826 per application. Applicants will also have the ability to walk in to the fully air conditioned, centrally located facility and have their application processed themselves. The facility is also equipped to follow all COVID protocols for the safety of visitors.

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