India To Restore All Visa Services In Bangladesh? Envoy's Big Remark After PM Rahman Takes Charge

Last Updated:February 19, 2026, 19:51 IST

Ties between the two neighbours soured after the July-August 2024 agitation, which resulted in toppling the Awami League government and forcing out then PM Sheikh Hasina.

India-Bangladesh Ties: In a sign that strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka may be easing, India has indicated that it will soon restore full visa services in Bangladesh.

India’s senior consular official in Sylhet, Aniruddha Das, said that steps were being taken to fully restore all visa services, as reported by Bangladeshi media outlets. Speaking at the Sylhet District Press Club on Thursday, Das confirmed that services were already expanding beyond the limited categories that had remained operational.

“Medical and double-entry visas are being issued now, and steps are underway to resume other categories, including travel visas," the official said as quoted by BDNews24.

He underlined the broader intent behind the move, stressing that bilateral ties rest on shared values and mutual regard. “India–Bangladesh relations are founded on mutual respect and honour," Desh Rupantor quoted him as saying.

“Ordinary people of both countries will be the principal stakeholders in this stable, positive, and long-term relationship," he added.

Months Of Strained Ties

Ties between the two neighbours soured after the July-August 2024 agitation, which resulted in toppling the Awami League government and forcing out then PM Sheikh Hasina. New Delhi, which had enjoyed its closest relationship with Dhaka since Hasina took power in 2009, was increasingly viewed within Bangladesh as having backed an administration that had grown authoritarian in its later years.

Visa services were suspended nationwide on August 8, 2024, amid widespread unrest in Bangladesh following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government. All Indian Visa Application Centres were closed at the time, with New Delhi citing an unstable security situation.

Although some services were later partially restored, they remained limited primarily to medical and double-entry visas. Visa issuance levels dropped sharply from around 8,000 per day before August 2024 to nearly 1,500 per day in the following months, according to media reports.

The ties worsened further under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, as anti-India protests intensified and diplomatic engagement slowed. A second major disruption followed in November 2025 after fresh anti-India protests linked to the death of radical leader Osman Hadi. Indian visa centres in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi were closed in quick succession.

In a tat-for-tat move, the interim regime in Bangladesh had elected to suspend visa servicing in its consular missions in New Delhi, Kolkata, Agartala and others.

With Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tarique Rahman becoming the Prime Minister after the February 12 election, there have been enough indications that both sides would work to mend the ties, which have a long history.

News india India To Restore All Visa Services In Bangladesh? Envoy's Big Remark After PM Rahman Takes Charge

Read More