India eases visa processing for Bangladesh citizens

The Indian High Commission in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka has eased visa processing for Bangladeshi citizens wanting to travel to India by introducing SMS-based appointment system and an OTP (one-time password). On May 30, the High Commission issued a statement saying that as soon as an application is placed online, an applicant would receive a text message on his/her phone number with the scheduled appointment date and the OTP. The applicants will have to show the text message to gain access to the IVACA (Indian Visa Application Centre) in Dhaka. But, this new system will not be applicable to those people who get a notification for an interview prior to or on June 5. To commemorate Ramzan, also known as Ramadan, a visa camp is being organized in Dhaka before the festival from June 4 to June 16 so that Bangladeshis can apply easily for a visa to India. Visa applicants during this period will, however, be able to submit their forms without taking appointments beforehand or e-tokens. These measures come following a series of complaints received by the High Commission and the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) from the Bangladeshi tourists about having to cough up lots of money to middlemen for fixing appointment dates.