🇧🇩Bangladesh

Get it in advance

• Apply to the Bangladeshi mission in your own country before you travel. That is the FCDO's advice and Canada's, and they are unusually aligned about why.
• The visa starts from the date of issue, not the date of travel. A visa issued eight weeks early has eight weeks less life in it. This catches people who apply as soon as they book.
• The passport must be valid at least 6 months after the date the visa starts.
• If you are using Bangladesh as a hub for the region, ask for a multiple entry visa. A single entry one ends the moment you leave for Kolkata.

The visa on arrival, honestly

• It exists at Dhaka airport and it is single entry, valid 15 to 30 days, and available for business travel with a letter of introduction.
• It is not a right. Bangladeshi immigration officers issue it at their discretion, and Canada's wording is that applying on arrival carries a risk of being denied entry into the country.
• You need a return ticket and proof of funds to apply.
• Weigh that against the cost. A refused visa at Dhaka means a flight home at your own expense.

The passport itself

• At least 2 blank pages and no damage. A torn or water-damaged passport is a refusal.
• Get the entry stamp and look at the date on it. Immigration checks that date on the way out and an overstay is a fine.
• You may be asked for an onward or return ticket at the border, plus, during election periods, confirmation of accommodation and contact details.

Vaccination and extensions

• A yellow fever certificate is required if you are arriving from a transmission risk country, and a polio certificate in certain circumstances.
• Extensions come from the Department of Immigration and Passports, from inside the country.

If you have Bangladeshi family

• British nationals of Bangladeshi origin are considered Bangladeshi citizens by the government, even if born abroad and never holding a Bangladeshi passport. That limits the help a British consulate can give.
• A 'no visa required' stamp is the route for people in that position, applied for from the Bangladeshi High Commission.

The ambulance, and when not to wait for it

• Call 999 and ask for an ambulance. For a suspected heart attack, ask specifically for a cardiac ambulance, which is a different vehicle.
• The FCDO says it may be faster to drive to the nearest hospital yourself if you have a vehicle. That is unusual advice and it is worth taking seriously in Dhaka traffic.
• Call your insurer as soon as you are referred anywhere.

Mosquitoes

• Dengue occurs year-round and is more widespread in the rainy season from May to September, and cases are increasing, including in Dhaka.
• Malaria, chikungunya and Zika are also present.
• There is no tablet for dengue. Repellent, long sleeves, and a room with screens or air conditioning.

Air

• Severe air pollution from November to March. If you have asthma or a heart condition, that is a season to plan around.

Care and medicines

• Medical facilities are poor and routine tests and X-rays are unreliable. Anything serious means evacuation, so the insurance has to cover it and you need access to money.
• Carry your prescriptions and medical papers, and be ready to answer police questions about any medication you have with you.

The tourist SIM

• Grameenphone sells a tourist SIM aimed at short visits, as a physical SIM or an eSIM.
• You need a valid passport and visa. That is the whole document list.
• The SIM itself is free, with data and call bundles starting around 1,499 taka.
• It is sold at over 40 Grameenphone centres and experience centres, concentrated in tourist areas rather than everywhere.

At the airport

• There is a Bangladeshi SIM card shop in front of the customs green channel at Dhaka, next to the car rental desks and the exchange banks, so you can be connected before you meet your driver.
• Free wifi is available in the arrivals baggage hall, which covers you while you sort the SIM out.

Practicalities

• Registration is in your own name against the passport. Expect biometric capture, so it has to be done by you in person.
• Keep the airport wifi or a roaming SIM as a fallback for the first hour. Dhaka is not a city to be standing outside working out a top-up.

Power

• Sockets take types A, C, D, M and G at 230 V and 50 Hz, and most of them are universal fittings that accept several plug shapes. A UK plug usually goes in.
• Power cuts are routine. Carry a power bank.

Language

• Bengali is the official language, written in its own script. English is widely used in business, in Dhaka and in hotels, less so elsewhere.
• Have your destination written in Bengali for drivers, and keep the hotel's card.

Custom

• Dress modestly, men and women both; women should cover shoulders and legs in public.
• During Ramadan, which in 2026 ran from about 17 or 18 February to the third week of March, check shop and restaurant hours and follow the dress code more carefully than usual.
• Officials may ask for ID. Carry copies, not the originals.

The declaration

• There is no limit on the foreign currency you may bring into Bangladesh, but there is a limit on bringing it in quietly.
• No declaration is needed up to USD 5,000 or equivalent, and up to 10,000 taka in Bangladeshi notes. Above either line you complete a form FMJ for the customs authorities on arrival.
• Transit passengers do not complete the form.
• Keep your copy of the FMJ. It is what lets a foreign national take the declared amount back out on departure. Without it you are limited to USD 5,000, and Bangladesh Bank says explicitly that foreign nationals should retain the declaration so as not to have difficulty leaving with unspent currency.

Day to day

• ATMs are available in most urban areas and accept UK cards. There are far fewer in rural areas, so draw before you leave a city.
• Travellers cheques can still be cashed at banks and airports, which is unusual enough in 2026 to be worth knowing.
• Money exchange desks sit inside the arrivals hall at Dhaka, by the baggage belts and again before the exit gates.

Carrying it

• Do not carry large quantities of cash or wear expensive-looking jewellery or watches.
• Be alert with your phone in public and in crowds. Thieves in Dhaka often work in pairs on motorcycles or CNGs.

The travel advice, stated first

• The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the Chittagong Hill Tracts, meaning the districts of Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban.
• Canada adds a practical step for anyone who goes anyway: contact the Chittagong Divisional Commissioner's Office at least 10 days before arriving.
• The rest of the country carries no such advisory, including Dhaka, Chittagong city and Cox's Bazar.

Politics on the street

• Hartals, the general strikes, bring arson, violence and vandalism to towns and cities and have caused deaths. They are announced, so ask your hotel.
• Crowds gather on Friday afternoons after Jumma prayers, and clashes can start at any time.
• Bangladesh held national elections on 12 February 2026, and political rallies still turn violent quickly.
• If you see a demonstration starting, move away. Do not photograph it.

Crime

• Violent crime has increased since the July and August 2024 uprising. Criminal gangs operate in Dhaka and other cities.
• Thieves work in pairs on motorcycles or CNGs, and target passengers on rickshaws, taxis, buses, trains and ferries, particularly around dusk.
• Avoid public transport if you are travelling alone, which is the FCDO's phrasing rather than a paraphrase.

Women travellers

• There is a risk of sexual assault, including attacks on female foreign visitors. Verbal and physical harassment by individuals or groups of men is common.
• Avoid isolated areas when alone at any time of day, and be particularly careful at night.
• Do not travel by bus alone or at night. The FCDO lists rape and sexual assault among bus risks, sometimes committed by the crew.

Alcohol and methanol

• You may need a liquor permit to drink in a government-licensed bar. Check at the local district office.
• That restriction has created a black market, and the black market uses methanol. People have died. You cannot taste or smell it. Buy sealed drinks in licensed venues only, and get urgent medical help if someone is unwell after drinking.

Laws

• Drug offences carry the death penalty or life imprisonment.
• Same-sex sexual activity is illegal.
• Carry a copy of your passport photo page and visa, keep the originals safe, and expect officials to ask.
• Dress modestly. Both men and women; women should cover shoulders and legs in public.

Roads and water

• Road accidents are common, with unroadworthy vehicles and drivers who do not dip headlights at night. Avoid driving alone at night, when there is also a robbery risk between towns.
• Ferry accidents are common, from poor safety practice and weather.
• Flooding and landslides hit the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Cox's Bazar and Sylhet, sometimes with little warning.

The number

Two things worth knowing in advance

• For a suspected heart attack, ask for a cardiac ambulance. It is a separate service and asking for the wrong one costs time.
• The Bangladesh Police Expatriate Help Cell offers services to foreign nationals, including dual nationals. It is a real point of contact and most visitors have never heard of it.

Before you need them

• Know your hospital before you need one, and have its address written in Bengali.
• Save your embassy's number offline, and remember that if you are of Bangladeshi origin the government here may treat you as its own citizen, which limits what a foreign consulate can do.