Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 7: 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 it will soon be opening their visa application centre in Kolkata.

Applicants will be able to submit their applications at the first official visa application centre located at the 1^st Floor of Infinium Digispace, CP Block, Block No 15, Salt Lake Sector V, Kolkata 700091 between 9:00 am &3 pm and collect their passport from 1 pm to 6 pm, Monday to Friday, every week. The new visa application centre (VAC), which is spread over 13,000 sq ft and is the largest single country visa application facility in Kolkata, will ensure applicants a seamless experience in acquiring their visas to travel to Bangladesh. The processing fee for all categories of visas is Rs 826, including GST per application and no additional visa fee is applicable for Indians applying for the visas to Bangladesh.

The brand new, state of the art Bangladesh VAC has 10 counters for accepting all categories of visas for 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-screening desks and two form filling desks along with two passport return counters. The VAC shall also provide a free self-help desk to applicants to fill up the visa form 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.

The new arrangements will ensure an enhanced applicant-friendly experience 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 only 3 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. Also, brokers and agents used to charge as much as Rs 12,500 for a VISA fee which will now be reduced to only Rs 826, and the people will have the ability to walk in and send their application for processing. The facility is also equipped to follow all COVID protocols for the safety of visitors.