Bangladesh visa for U.S. citizens: visa on arrival, the $160 office visa and the NVR
Checked against the official pages on 22 October 2026. How we check.
The Embassy says the United States nationals may get a visa on arrival, and that a visa can also be applied for at the Embassy or a consulate general; the Embassy issues only new visas, and extensions are handled in Dhaka by the Department of Immigration and Passports (Embassy visa page).
Visa on arrival
New York lists who qualifies: U.S. citizens traveling for official business, trade, investment or tourism, for no more than 30 days and a single entry, at the immigration officer’s discretion.
The fee is paid in cash in dollars, euros or pounds, you need at least $500 in cash or on a card unless you travel on government duty, and a return ticket (New York page).
New York also warns that some airlines flying from the U.S. may not let you board without a visa, so check with yours. The Embassy sends readers to the Special Branch of Bangladesh Police, which issues the visa on arrival at the Dhaka airport (Embassy page).
A visa from an office
For a stay of more than 30 days, several entries or a work or study purpose, apply at the office that covers your state. The Embassy’s usual processing time is seven working days, and the visa’s validity starts on the day it is issued, not on your travel date (Embassy visa page).
| Office | Visa for a U.S. citizen | By mail |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $160 | Yes |
| New York | $160 | Yes |
| Embassy | On its separate visa fee page | Yes |
| Miami | See its visa page | Ask |
The fees are Los Angeles’s and New York’s own (Los Angeles fees, New York visa page); the mail service is on the Embassy’s, Los Angeles’s and New York’s visa pages (Embassy, Los Angeles, New York).
The Embassy lists fourteen visa types, from tourist and family tourist to business, investor, employment, student, journalist, NGO, research or intern, missionary and Tablig Jamaat (Embassy visa categories).
It says that paid or unpaid work in Bangladesh is prohibited on most of them, the tourist and business visas included.
For a tourist visa, New York’s Ministry page asks for these (New York tourist visa page):
- the online form from visa.gov.bd and one photo;
- the passport, with six months of validity and two blank pages;
- a signed cover letter to the visa officer with the purpose and length of the visit;
- a hotel booking, or a letter from the Bangladeshi host with a copy of their ID;
- your flight details.
Miami’s basic requirements are the form, one 2 x 2 inch photo and a passport valid for at least six months with two blank pages.
On top of that come the papers for the visa type: a travel itinerary for tourism, an invitation and a letter from your employer for business, and approvals from the relevant Bangladeshi authority for work or study (Miami visa page).
- The visa application form, filled out
- A passport valid for at least six months, with two blank pages
- A recent color photo
- The papers for your visa type
- The fee and, by mail, a prepaid USPS return envelope with tracking