Bangladesh: Applying for Indian Visa

While we are in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, we started to look out how to apply for an Indian visa.

In Bangladesh, there are only 2 cities where foreigners can make an Indian visa. Dhaka and Chittagong.

Getting Information

There are 2 websites where we looked for needed documents, fees and all that.

• Indian Visa Application is made here
• And all the documents and fees we found here (Don’t forget to click ‘For Foreigners’)

As I look back at them I’m still confused. There are so many points not well organized.

Usually, are needed just Application copies with photos and photocopies of passport and visa of the country you are in. Well, it’s much more complicated here in Bangladesh.

After all lookout, we made all the documents we could and with them went to the Indian Visa center. The women there made a list of needed documents and ordered to come the next day.

So here is what you need:

• 2 passport photos not older than 3 months, digital too

Copy of:

• Visa Application
• passport
• current Bangladesh visa
• last Indian Visa
• provided ID card from your country – the one you have a passport from
• International Credit/Debit card
• Foreign Bank statement
• bill from the Hotel you are staying in Bangladesh as proof
• Professional Document (if possible)

The fee, which has recently slightly increased for an adult Polish is 9 7944 in total, and for a child up to 12 years is 9 544 such, while the lady in the window several times emphasizes that there is no payment anywhere outside, and pay for it, there where do you file your documents.

Visa Application

As always, the first thing you need to do when applying for an Indian visa is to complete the online application. And here, the regulars of India extending their visas in neighboring countries usually turn to the broker’s office, which is many to chose in the vicinity of the visa center. Bangladesh site of the Indian visa center, however, recommends not to use the services of visa agents, and patiently complete the application at home.

Review everything first and prepare yourself all the necessary information, such as:

• passport number, when and where issued, when its validity ends,
• peel number
• the number and date of issue of the Bangladeshi visa,
• the number, date, and place of issue and when your previous Indian visa expired,
• addresses below, so that you do not have to search them when completing the application.

Also, visit the toilet, take a cup of tea, take a shower and do all the other activities necessary to sustain life in your body, because the form’s activity time is limited.

If it happens that the form does not go any further, what does it look like you have to correct some data in one of the windows, and after reloading there is no option that you have to choose from the drop-down menu, you have to be patient and do everything from scratch. Sometimes several times … Yes, I had it at the first stage of the form – in the drop-down menu, the tourist visa has disappeared and has only been transit. Make sure that captcha characters are exactly what they should be, that is, small ones.

Indian Mission: BANGLADESH – DHAKA

Expected Date of Arrival: date, when you intend to enter India

Visa Type: TOURIST

Purpose: we chose INDIVIDUAL TOURIST

and then carefully rewrite captcha symbols.

Personal data should be the same as the one you provided before, applying for an Indian visa. At the same time, make sure that they are consistent with the data provided in your passport.

The windows that require mention on the following pages are:

Surname:

Given name:

Place of birth town/city:

Country of birth: as in passport

Citizenship/ National ID number: enter your id number

Educational Qualification: choose anything, be it truthful and to your age

Visible identification marks: if you do not have any special characters, enter NA

Nationality:

Previous nationality: also fill

Nationality by birth/ Naturalisation:

Any other Passport/Identity Certificate held: NO if you have only one passport

Present address: your address – the hotel where you live in Bangladesh the same one that appears on the bill you show, must contain street and number, city and zip code (zip code) and the word Bangladesh,

Phone NO: phone number of the hotel

Mobile NO: your phone number – SMS from Visa Center can be sent there

Permanent address:

Father’s/ Mother’s Name:

Nationality:

Previous nationality,

Place/Country of Birth: fill everything correctly

Were your Grandfather/Grandmother(Paternal/Maternal) Pakistan Nationals Or belong to Pakistan held area: NO

Port Of Arrival:

Port of Exit: border crossing, or airport (give city) where you intend to enter/leave India; add BY AIR if you intend to fly

Places to be Visited: enter the state or city where you intend to be

Have You Ever visited India? – if YES, you must provide the address where You stayed in India

Countries visited in the last 10 years:

Have you visited SAARC countries during the last 3 years? – SAARC countries are 7 countries (plus India) – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka – in which visits you must specify from the drop-down menu in the next question if you answer YES

Have you been refused an Indian Visa or extension of the same previously or deported from India?

Present Occupation: your occupation; there are several options – like Student or Housewife – which indicate that you are dependent on others, then you will be asked below for details of your host’s interest

Employer name/business:

Designation/Rank (if you select Other from the Present Occupation selection menu): describe in a word what the company is doing

Employer Address: address of the company, street, number, city, and country

Are/have you worked with Armed forces/ Police/ Para Military forces: NO

Reference Person in India: details of a person in India who knows you

Address:

Phone number:

Reference Person in (your country):

Address:

Phone number:

At each stage at the top of the page, the temporary number – your visa application – is displayed. It is worth having it somewhere saved. If something does not go then you can log in and continue with your application instead of starting again.

At the last stage, you will be taken to the site where you have to check – do it carefully! – all your given data. Then upload your photo to the form. The print option will allow you to save the application in pdf format and print it later somewhere out along with copies of your documents.

When writing this text, I used the already completed application, so not all the questions are in order. Read the post and keep it open “just in case”.

On the printed application, glue the picture and sign it in two places: under the pasted photo and on the last page on the bottom right. For children, you sign yourself (as a parent).

Usually, we applied for 6 months but as we looked trough website we sow something about 12 so we made a risk and wrote in the application 12 months which would be glorious. Not to think about visa for a whole year, just travel.

Afterward

There are four Indian Service Visa Centers in Dhaka, of which only one is issuing visas to foreigners: Jamuna Future Park – a visa office located in a large shopping center in Gulshan, Dhaka district. You can get there by bus from the other side of the city – for example from Gabtola, where we live – for 30 Taka.

The queue is for the citizens of Bangladesh. As a foreigner, you go to the entrance and after showing your passport you are allowed to enter security.

The whole process for 6 people took 1 hour.

We had to wait 7 days, but in the end, it was 2 weeks as visas were not ready.