Students Visa for International Students in Bangladesh

Visa and Immigration Policy for International Students:

• Acquiring a Visa: – International Students should have a student visa in order to study in Bangladesh. To do so, they must apply online in the link provided below. A student visa will be then be issued to them through the Bangladesh Embassy in their own country. If a country does not have a Bangladesh Embassy, then the student must travel to an embassy in the nearest country.

Website link for Online Visa Application: https://www.visa.gov.bd/

Extending Student Visa:

• After an international student arrives in Bangladesh, they must extend their student visa each year if they want to further continue their studies. The renewal fees vary from country to country.
• It is mandatory for international students living in Bangladesh to maintain valid visas. Hence, it is encouraged that they should try to extend their visas on time.

Steps to follow for Extension of Student Visa:

Phase – 1: Submitting an Application for an Extension

Step 1: Two months before the visa expiration date, the international student has to contact the Center for International Affairs and Cooperation (CIAC) Office in person in order to extend their student visas.

Step – 2: The CIAC Office will then provide a form to the international student. He/she will then fill it up and submit it to the Officer at CIAC. The Officer also receives photocopies of the following documents from the international student:

1. Passport Photocopy (Information page).
2. All used pages including last visa and arrival page
3. UIU student ID card
4. Two Passport size photographs

Step – 3: After receiving the documents, the Officer at CIAC will then ask the international student to come back after two working days. He/she will then be given recommendation letters for visa extension, sponsorship certificate, and a non-employment letter.

Step – 4: After receiving the recommendation letters from the CIAC office, the international student should then submit the following documents at the Passport and Immigration Office in the below address:

Department of Immigration and Passport

7-E Agargaon, Shere-E-Bangla Nagor

Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.

Upon reaching the destination, the international student has to go to Counter #1 with the below documents

1. Two printed copies of the Online Application: https://www.visa.gov.bd/
2. University Recommendations Letters along with authority signature
3. Passport and photocopy of Information Page).
4. All used pages in passport including last visa and arrival pages
5. UIU student ID card
6. Two Passport size photographs
7. First Admission Letter/Offer Letter issued by the University.

After the documents are checked by the concerned authority, the student needs to deposit the required visa processing fee (varies from country to country) to Sonali Bank Limited, located inside the Passport and Immigration Office. After the deposit, attach all the documents along with the money receipt, and submit them together to Counter # 3. The international student will then receive a MRV or Call date delivery slip.

Phase – 2: Police Investigation Report by Special Branch of Police

The international student and the CIAC Officer will be contacted by an appointed SBP Officer (verification of student) for the visa extension. THE SBP officer will then instruct the CIAC Officer to send the international student with the following documents. 

The international student should collect the following documents from their respective departments:

1. Photocopies of Passport, last visa and arrival page
2. To Whom It May Concern and Recommendation letter
3. Offer Letter/Admission Letter
4. Attendance Sheet (From His/hers respective department or Course Teacher)
5. Partial Transcript (Controller of Examinations)
6. Studentship Certificate
7. MRV Visa Delivery Slip (Passport and Immigration Office)
8. Foreign student list with details (information)
9. Attested photocopy of three recommendation letters for the visa extension

Before going to the SBP Office (Malibagh), the international student has to make an appointment with the SBP Officer appointed to him/her. This can be done in two ways:

1. The international student can come and ask the International Affairs Officer to make an appointment with his/her appointed SBP Officer. Due to the language barrier, it is prudent that they seek help from the International Affairs Officer.
2. The international student can directly contact the SBP Officer and make an appointment with him/her.

The student will then meet the SBP Officer during his/her appointment and submit the mentioned documents.

• The SBP Officer provides a basic information Visa/Security form-2 for the international student to fill out.
• After filling it out, the student has to wait for a certain period of time (usually three to four weeks) to get the police report in order to extend the student visa.

Phase – 3 [Last Phase]: collect the visa from Passport and Immigration Office

After three to four weeks, the international student should contact (by phone) his/her appointed SBP Officer to check the progress of his/her police report. Once the police report reaches the Passport and Immigration Office and the visa extension is ready, the student is instructed to go to the Passport and Immigration Office with their original MRV slip and Passport. The visa will then be stamped on their passport.

At the Passport and Immigration Office, the international student has to submit the passport delivery slip to Counter # 2 and finally receive the extended visa.

Exit Visa Procedure (Emergency Travel Visa):

Before the student visa extension, if the international student wants to leave the country for emergency purposes, then he/she has to receive an exit visa. 

The exit visa procedure is given below:

Step 1: – Two months before the visa expiration date, the international student has to contact the Center for International Affairs and Cooperation (CIAC) Office in person in order to extend their student visas.

Step – 2: The CIAC Office will then provide a form to the international student. He/she will then fill it up and submit it to the Officer at CIAC. The Officer also receives photocopies of the following documents from the international student:

• Passport Photocopy (Information page).
• All used pages including last visa and arrival page
• UIU student ID card photocopy 
• Two Passport size photographs

Step – 3: After receiving the documents, the Officer at CIAC will then ask the international student to come back after two working days. He/she will then be given recommendation letters for visa extension, sponsorship certificate, and a non-employment letter.

Step – 4: After receiving the recommendation letters from the CIAC office, the international student should then submit the following documents at the Passport and Immigration Office in the below address:

Department of Immigration and Passport

7-E Agargaon

Shere-E-Bangla Nagor

Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.

Upon reaching the destination, the international student has to go to Counter #1 with the below documents

1. Two printed copies of the Online Application: https://www.visa.gov.bd/
2. University Recommendations Letters along with authority signature
3. Passport and photocopy of Information Page).
4. All used pages in passport including last visa and arrival pages
5. UIU student ID card
6. Two Passport size photographs
7. First Admission Letter/Offer Letter issued by the University.

After the documents are checked by the concerned authority, the student needs to deposit the required visa processing fee (varies from country to country) to Sonali Bank Limited, located inside the Passport and Immigration Office. After the deposit, attach all the documents along with the money receipt, and submit them together to Counter # 3. The international student will then receive a MRV or Call date delivery slip.

Preserve the original copy and submit the photocopy of the MRV delivery slip along with passport to Counter # 2. After submission, the international student will receive the exit visa (police report is not required here).

 

Spouse or dependent Visa (FS) for S-Visa holders:

An international student can bring his/her parents and spouse with them. They can do so with reference of S-visa holders, but they need FS visa to come to Bangladesh.

They can also come to Bangladesh with a T-visa, however, after arriving in Bangladesh, they need to change the visa category from T to FS. To do so, they have to apply through the university authority with the proper documents and recommendations letters

Special note:

• Visa duration depends on your passport validity (Maximum one year).
• If your passport expires, you need to have a new passport or Emergency Travel Documents to leave Bangladesh. 
• Students can stay up to 3 months without overstaying fine, but they need a valid visa when they want to leave Bangladesh. 
• Once you deposit the visa fees (even if you don’t get the visa), the deposit cannot be refunded.
• Student visa depends on No Objection Police report from the SBP. If you get a negative report from the SBP office, you will get an Exit visa and you have to leave Bangladesh within 7 days.