Bangladesh

Visas

Citizens of all countries need visa to enter Bangladesh. They prefer you to obtain it in your home country, but it's also possible at a few embassies and consulates in neighboring countries. Visas are not available at the airports or border crossings unless the country you're a citizen of has no Bangladeshi diplomatic mission in that country or if you're a 'privileged investor' invited by a Bangladeshi export trade body. In that instance one can qualify for a VOA (visa on arrival). Be ready to show paperwork indicating invitations from said Govt. organizations. If you apply in your home country you can usually obtain a 3 month visa if arriving by air, or 15 days if arriving at a land border crossing. Fees vary depending on nationality and length of visa requested. Citizens must obtain visas from their home countries unless an Embassy/High Commission does not exist there. In the latter case a Visa will be issued in Bangladesh on arrival. For Citizens of the USA -- Visa fee is $100 currently if obtained from within the USA. (This may seem a little high -- however -- Bangladeshis applying for a US Visa pay about US$400 or so.) Yes you can get mail-in visa processing. Links to the Consulate in LA and Consulate in New York will answer most questions -- please read the 'visa requirements' sections carefully. If in doubt -- call. Please note that International Money Order or Personal Check or Cash are not acceptable. U.S. Cashier Check or Money Order or Bank Draft, should be made payable to "Consulate General of Bangladesh". The Embassy of Bangladesh in USA is in Washington D.C. For Canadian nationals a single-entry visa for 3 months is C$80 and a multiple-entry visa is C$158.00. The Visa form for Canada is here. For UK Nationals a Single-entry visa is £40 and a multiple-entry visa is as follows,

Double entries : £52

Multiple with 3 entries : £75

Multiple with 4 entries : £104

UK Visa form is here The UK boasts a large number of Bangladesh consular offices -- please call the High Commission in London to inquire if one is near you. UK consular details here For all other countries please see Visa fee list. Visa extensions are possible in Dhaka at the Immigration and Passport Office, Agargaon Rd. Fees are the same as a single-entry visa, even if just trying to expand your 15 day pittance into a full-fledged 30-90 day visa, making a sidetrip from India for longer than 15 days an expensive endeavor. If you only want to stay a little longer it's better to just pay the overstay fee of Tk 200/day for up to 15 days, which grows substantially to Tk 500/day thereafter. Some of the smaller backwater crossings such as Tamabil may not even notice that you've overstayed, don't point it out yourself. The Bangladesh High Commission in Kolkata, Circus Ave (Just east of AJC Bose Rd), +91 (0)33 2290 5208/5209, issues 15 day visas, ranging from free for Indians to a hefty Rs 5000 (~$110) for American citizens (Visa fees are reciprocal -- Bangladeshis applying for a US Visa pay about US$400 or so). Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos and copies of passport and Indian visa. For German passport holders it was 1.650 Rs as of February 2008, and for Austrians 1.950 Rs. It took 2 days to obtain the visa as one had to show up for an interview with the Deputy High Commissioner himself two days after the application. After the interview in the morning (2 hours waiting time), the visa was delivered at 6 pm the same day. It's not clear though if everybody has to undergo this procedure. If you were a Bangladeshi citizen at some point in time and now hold a passport from a different country, you can contact your nearest Bangladesh High Commission for your "No Visa Required" stamp, which works as a permanent visa as long as your passport containing the stamp doesn't expire. This option is also available to the children of former Bangladeshi citizens.

By plane

ZIA International Airport (ICAO: DAC) in Dhaka is the main gateway to the country, though Chittagong and Sylhet also receive international flights. The national carrier is Biman Air, connecting with a few hubs in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. It has a less-than-stellar reputation for punctuality, cleanliness and safety. It is now under re-organization and most international routes have been canceled -- so look at other airlines for now. The private carrier GMG Airlines operates domestic and regional flights to Dhaka from Kolkata, Delhi, Bangkok, Kuala_Lumpur and Kathmandu, and is far better managed than Biman. It is the best local carrier currently based in the Capital City of Dhaka and may open intercontinental routes soon. Connecting from the Middle East: There are direct flights to Dhaka from Qatar (Qatar Airways) and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates(Emirates or Etihad Airways) through which you can connect to New York, Toronto, Houston and most Asian and European Capitals. Emirates serves New York, Toronto and Houston from their Dubai (DXB) hub non-stop -- and then connects to Dhaka via a short four-hour hop. Connecting from East Asia: Hong Kong (Chek Lap Kok) and Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) are the most convenient nearby hubs to reach Bangladesh from Eastern Asia (Beijing, Tokyo) and points further East (Western United States). Dragonair flies non-stop from Hong Kong to Dhaka (4~5 hours). Hong Kong as a major international hub has very good connections to the rest of the world. Connecting from North America (East Coast): No direct flights to Dhaka yet. Cathay Pacific has a non-stop route from New York (JFK) to Hong Kong over the North Pole (CX830/831). Then you take a short Dragonair flight to Dhaka. Continental flies to Hong Kong non-stop using the same 16-hour polar route, flying from Newark Liberty (New Jersey). Again -- the connection is by Dragonair. Connecting from North America (West Coast): Cathay Pacific, Thai & Singapore Airlines now have non-stop flights from Hong Kong, Bangkok & Singapore (their respective hub cities) to Los Angeles. Singapore Airlines may also have a direct flight to San Francisco as well. These airlines all have direct connecting flights to Dhaka from their respective hubs. Connecting from Australia or South Africa: You're better off connecting via the Bangkok or Singapore hubs (which are served by almost every airline -- it seems). Connecting from Western Europe: British Airways serves Dhaka non-stop from London (by Boeing777 widebody). Air India now serves Dhaka-London via a short, momentary hop in nearby Kolkata (with a Boeing 747 widebody). Connecting from the region (Indian subcontinent or China): Connecting through Indian hubs (Delhi or Mumbai) to Dhaka is lately not advisable (as of late 2007) because of recent rapid airline growth in India and resulting chaos leading to delays lasting for a day or more in those hubs. Some regional flights like those operated by Thai Airways stop in Chittagong or Sylhet en route to/from Dhaka. Nearby regional destinations like Kathmandu (Nepal), Paro (Bhutan), Kunming (China) and all Indian cities are readily accessible from Dhaka in under three hours and are served by a great number of private airlines. The most exotic destination from Dhaka is to Paro (Bhutan's Capital) and is served by Druk-Air, the national Bhutanese Airline on Sundays (9:00 AM flight taking an hour). The approach to Paro Airport (PBH) is an adventure in itself. Kunming is the other newest exotic addition to Dhaka's air-linked cities and has one flight a week (Thursdays). China Eastern Air Flight 2035 arrives in Dhaka from Kunming (KMG) at 12:40 PM. Flight 2036 then departs at 1:40 PM and takes two and a half hours to reach Kunming -- a relaxed hinterland Chinese city which is the capital of Yunnan province. At present (November 2007) this is the only direct air-link to the Chinese mainland from Bangladesh (other than Hong Kong).

By bus

The only open land borders are those with India. No land crossing is possible to Myanmar (occasionally Bangladesh passport holders are allowed to cross from Teknaf, though this changes regularly). From Kolkata From India there are a number of land entry points. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from Kolkata to Dhaka via the Haridaspur / Benapole border post. Private Bangladeshi bus companies Shohagh, Green Line, Shyamoli among others operate daily Kolkata-Dhaka-Kolkata bus services. Govt. buses run under the label of the state owned West Bengal Surface Transport Service Corporation (WBSTSC) and the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC). WBSTSC and BRTC both operate buses from Kolkata (Karunamoyee international bus terminus in the Salt Lake neighborhood) every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:00AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hours with a one-way fare of Rs550 or BDT600-800, roughly $8-12. If you're only headed to Haridaspur the fare is Rs86 (2.5 hours). Timings will vary, please confirm after arrival in Kolkata (Calcutta). From Siliguri Another daily bus service under the WBSTSC/BRTC label runs from Siliguri to Dhaka, via the Changrabandha / Burimari or Burungamari border post with a change of bus at the border. A round-trip Siliguri-Dhaka-Siliguri ticket costs BDT 1300, (~$20). Tickets are sold in Dhaka and Siliguri. Buses leave Dhaka at 8PM and Siliguri at 2PM. From Agartala There is a regular bus service between Dhaka and Agartala, capital of India's Tripura state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of BDT600 ($10). There is only one halt at Ashuganj in Bangladesh during the journey. Call +880 2 8360241 for schedule. Other entry points from India are Hili, Chilahati / Haldibari and Banglaband border posts for entry from West Bengal; Tamabil / Dawki border post for a route between Shillong (Meghalaya) and Sylhet in Bangladesh, and some others with lesser known routes from north-eastern Indian regions.

By train

Train services from India were suspended for 42 years, but the Moitree Express is scheduled to start running between Dhaka to Kolkata in end Sep/Oct 2007. However this is delayed indefinitely and in November 2007 it was uncertain when it would start.