Passenger travel to India on tourist visas through the Akhaura Land Port in Brahmanbaria officially resumed on Thursday, marking the end of a suspension that had lasted for nearly two years.
At 11:30 am, a Bangladeshi citizen became the first traveler to cross into India through the Akhaura border on a newly issued tourist visa since the service was suspended in 2024.
Officials at the land port said passenger movement has been steadily increasing over the past few days. Indian nationals are also entering Bangladesh on tourist visas, while most Bangladeshis traveling to India in recent months have done so on medical visas. With the resumption of tourist visa issuance, authorities expect cross-border passenger traffic to increase significantly.
According to port sources, the first Bangladeshi traveler to use the restored tourist visa service is a resident of Fulbaria in Brahmanbaria Municipality. He submitted his visa application on June 28 and received a six-month multiple-entry tourist visa on July 8, before traveling to India the following day.
SI Abdur Rahim of the Akhaura Land Port Immigration Police confirmed that the traveler completed immigration formalities and crossed into India at 11:30 am on Thursday. He said the number of passengers traveling on tourist visas is expected to rise from today as more visa holders begin their journeys.
India suspended tourist visa services for Bangladeshi citizens in the aftermath of the August 5, 2024, mass uprising. After nearly two years, visa processing resumed on June 28, 2026, through Indian Visa Application Centres in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong.