In a clear signal of mending bilateral ties, New Delhi is set to resume tourist visa services for Bangladeshi nationals soon–by the end of this month or in June, sources said.

“India continues to issue medical visas to Bangladeshis, roughly about 1,000 per day. Now, efforts are on to restart issuance of tourist visas too which is likely to happen by the end of May or sometime early next month,” a source tracking the matter told businessline.

The visit of Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman to New Delhi in April served as an “ice-breaker” for the two governments, the source said. It marked the first high-level engagement since Dhaka’s political transition, paving the way for restored consular services and connectivity.

Talks are on between the two sides to also re-start technical level meetings in various areas such as trade, customs, water sharing, border management and cosular affairs where all pending matters and pain points will be addressed, the source added.

Bilateral ties had soured during the 18-month interim tenure of the Muhammad Yunus administration due to friction over India hosting deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and rhetoric from Dhaka regarding India’s Northeast that New Delhi viewed as a challenge to its sovereignty.

However, the situation has “stabilised” following the swearing-in of Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as Prime Minister in February 2026. This replaced the interim setup with a democratically elected government and initiated a more pragmatic, trade-focused engagement with India, the source added. 

Discussions on restoring normal visa operations gathered pace following a series of recent diplomatic engagements, including meetings between senior officials on trade, security cooperation and transit arrangements.

Dhaka resumed issuance of tourist visas to Indian citizens in late February, weeks after the new government took office. It had paused visa issuance in December 2025 as the country prepared for general elections amid diplomatic friction and security concerns.

India had sharply scaled back visa issuance following the 2024 political upheaval, when widespread unrest and security threats to its missions disrupted normal engagement. It stopped issuing tourist visas entirely in December 2025 following heightened security risks in Dhaka.  The number of visas issued by India to Bangladeshis fell from approximately 6,000–7,000 daily prior to the 2024 regime change to about 1,000–1,500 per day by early 2026, as New Delhi restricted entries primarily to medical and other emergencies.

Businesses from both sides are now hopeful that the re-start of technical talks will also help sort various trade curbs and transhipment restrictions imposed by the two governments over the past year.

Bangladesh is India’s largest trade partner in South Asia with its exports to the country in FY25 estimated at $11.46 billion and imports at $2.05 billion.

Published on May 10, 2026