FAQ – Frequently asked questions

In advance: As a rule, the Immigration Office is waiting for you at the airport in Dhaka. They ask you for your visa and accompany you accordingly. It is difficult to estimate the time required, which is very dependent on the number of landed aircraft or waiting aliens. Some got it in fifteen minutes, some took two hours. Forget your good education and try to reach the counter as soon as possible after landing.Travelers must have received the full dose of the drug approved by the WHO and be able to prove this with an official vaccination certificate. Without a vaccination certificate, an RT-PCR-based COVID-19 negative certificate (issued within 72 hours before departure) is mandatory.
In detail: At the VOA counter, you will get two form sheets to fill out: the Arrival Card which you get back after the procedure and keep it until your departure and the visa form. The form differs very little from the arrival card, but is retained by the officials. A tip: solid data regarding your profession generate the fewest demands. Housewife, for example, is always good at these latitudes, or just a handy profession. All professions with a social or medical background will generate demands, since you may be working for an aid organization.
With both filled documents you pay at the counter the fees in the amount of 51.00 $ p.P. Upon presentation of all documents and our invitation/travel confirmation, you will receive your stamp at the next switch and can now proceed to the luggage strap. In the field of passport check, two officials check your passport before you are officially in Bangladesh.

Are you a citizen of the following countries or international communities, you come in benefiting from these arrangements: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, China, EU, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, UAE, USA and UK. Caution! Corona-related exceptions are possible!

The airport visa allows for a single entry and exit, a maximum stay of 30 days and cannot be extended.

The airport visa currently costs 50.00 €. You will need your valid passport, a return ticket and the above-mentioned Arrival Card and visa form. An invitation or a travel confirmation should simplify things. Other documents or passport photos are not required. (September 2017)

A tourist visa can be theoretically extended the Immigration Office Dhaka, provided there is a visa issued by the respective embassy, so not a Visa on Arrival. The process itself is but indecently expensive, lengthy and practically impossible to handle. See also next question!

Each Overstay which less than one month (30 days) will be immediate and relatively unbureaucratic locally, ie at the airport, regulated. An overstay of more than 30 days is not recommended, because there will be trouble.
The Officer will determine undoubtedly at your departure that your visa has already expired. He will make you aware of your overstay and a fee to be paid of 200.00 Taka per day exceeded. From the 15th day covered the daily fee increased to 500.00 Taka. In addition, always a handling fee of 6,000.00 Taka due (which means 3 days without a visa cost you 6,600.00 Taka). He will inform a colleague who goes with you to the bank counter where the amount is to be paid. With you and the receipt, he goes back to the Immigration Officer, who will wish you a good flight and give you the exit stamp. That’s it with the difficulties. Further (eg on re-entry) are not to be expected.

In all major cities you can find ATMs ready to use with Visa and/or MasterCard (local currency). The machines of the Standard Chartered Bank and DBBL (Dutch Bangla Bank Ltd.) also accept Maestro, provided this has been enabled by your bank. Of course, the fees determined your bank. The payout on ATMs is limited to a maximum of 50,000.00 Taka per 24 hours.

Euro notes, US Dollar and British Pounds you can convert easily in all exchange offices. Furthermore, the following rule of thumb: The bigger the note, the better the rate. So you’ll definitely get a better rate for a 500.00 Euro banknote than with ten 50,00 Euro banknotes.

You get in an exchange office a better rate than at the bank counter. Exchange offices are plentiful, at the airport and in Dhaka- Uttara, Banani and Gulshan. Fees on the conversion into a currency exchange are not due and sure it is too. Depending on the level of the amount you should compare the rates of exchange offices.

The national currency is Taka. The exchange rate is, of course, subject to fluctuations, so you will not find a fixed statement here. You can find the current exchange rate here.

International, mean large hotels, accept all major credit cards. With Visa and MasterCard you also have quite good chances to pay in the shopping malls and int. Restaurants of the big cities. With American Express it is also possible from time to time, but generally more difficult. Credit cards are not accepted in small shops, street kitchens and budget hotels.

You can in the exchange offices easily changed back Taka in all major currencies.

In the capital and all the other (larger) cities good Clinics/Doctors are not a problem. In the countryside things are fundamentally different and not better. So you should an emergency kit with you. Are you traveling with us and need medical attention, we set everything in motion! More information can be found under Information/Healthiness.

That depends on the type of tour and the season. But basic things are an emergency kit in the medical sense, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, a sufficient number of batteries for your camera and a torch. “Sensitive minds” is recommended to bring your earplugs, a simple, unlined sleeping bag made of silk or cotton and a (private) towel.

The grid is pursued in Bangladesh with 220V of AC voltage. The Europlug (CEE 7/16) as an two-pole AC power plug is available as well as the British Standard BS 1363 (British 3-Pin or Commonwealth-plug). However, a three-way distributor with extension it is recommended.

Because for locals prohibited by law, alcohol is not readily available. This prohibition does not apply to you as a foreigner. There are even a handful of special shops in Dhaka, where you can shop against the presentation of your passport. The selection is clear and almost import article, correspondingly expensive. High-class hotels sometimes have a bar. Use the duty-free shops before you enter!

Roaming agreements exist. Theoretically, you can make calls with your SIM and mobile phone number. In practice, this is but outrageously expensive. We will provide you with a local SIM card.

Short answer: Everything! Small toys, balloons and pens are extremely popular with the little ones. Even sweets from abroad is full hip – although we prefer to distribute apples, which are at least as popular.

Most hotels now offer WiFi. If you need an Internet connection during the tour, we will provide you with a local SIM card. Depending on the location, the data transfer is faster, sometimes slower. But you have to reckon with dead zones.