Dhaka: Travel to India from Bangladesh is increasing to reach pre-pandemic levels as over 10 lac Bangladeshis received Indian visas, including 2.73 lac for medical purposes, in eight months, from January to November, 2022, reports cited data provided by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, India issued over 16 lac visas to Bangladeshis, marking the largest number of Indian visa issuance.

In 2021, India issued over 2.3 lac visas, including 1.96 lac for medical purposes, for Bangladeshis despite the lockdown, as per reports.

On the occasion, Kingshuk Mitra, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the Indian Visa Application Centre in Dhaka, said that applications for Indian visas had increased further at the end of 2022. Indian visa services in Bangladesh are the largest visa operations network in the world.

With 15 Indian visa centres spread across Bangladesh – in Dhaka (at Jamuna Future Park), Chattogram, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Khulna, Jashore, Satkhira, Mymensingh, Barishal, Rangpur, Thakurgaon, Bogura, Noakhali, Cumilla, and Brahmanbaria.

Visas to all Bangladeshi nationals are issued free of cost. However, a processing fee of BDT 800 per application is charged by Indian Visa Application Centres (IVACs) to facilitate the submission of visa applications, he added.

It may be mentioned here that no other country has such a diverse means of visa-based travel to India. Bangladesh nationals can travel to India by crossing land borders on foot or by bus, by inland waterways, by sea, by rail, and by air.