VisaResearch visitors to Bangladesh should resolve conflicting visa-duration guidance before applying
A current-rule guide compares the 2026 policy table with mission checklists on research invitations, ministry recommendations, photographs and payment.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
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Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Identify the research programme before choosing the visa period
The Bangladesh embassy in Hanoi publishes a Visa Policy 2026 table covering researchers, apprentices and participants in recognised research or training programmes. Its Researcher category describes multiple-entry permission for the programme duration, up to one year, with extension based on the institution’s recommendation. It prohibits employment in Bangladesh.
The listed evidence includes the application, passport information page, admission or offer letter, financial-solvency evidence and a recommendation from the relevant ministry or approved institution where necessary. Government-organisation trainees have a stated financial-evidence exception. This is published policy guidance, not confirmation that every mission already issues the maximum duration. Identify the programme, host institution and intended activities before requesting the receiving mission’s current checklist.
Washington still publishes a three-month starting period
The Washington embassy’s Research Visa page describes research, training and internships in government-approved institutions. It requires letters from the institutions at both ends stating the applicant’s position, passport number, visit purpose and duration, plus consent from the relevant Bangladesh ministry. It says paid and unpaid employment are prohibited for R and FR visa holders.
That page describes an initial visa of up to three months, with no more than ninety days per visit. It also describes possible extension by the Department of Immigration and Passports in Dhaka for up to three years, subject to organisational or ministry recommendation and security clearances. These published durations differ from Hanoi’s 2026 table. Applicants should ask the mission which rules it currently applies, rather than assume the newer-looking table automatically replaces its checklist. No direct clarification was obtained, and a possible extension should not be treated as permission already granted.
New York requires submission after completing the online form
The New York consulate’s research page, updated 6 October 2026, directs applicants to complete the online application and then submit the printed form, documents and applicable fee. It asks for one recent passport photograph, an original passport valid for at least six months with two blank pages, a signed covering letter, institutional letters from both countries and a mandatory ministry recommendation.
The page also asks for flight particulars and accommodation evidence. If staying with a Bangladeshi national, it calls for a host request letter and identification copy instead of simply naming an address. New York specifies debit or credit card payment at the consulate and says visa validity is decided by the officer. It cautions against submitting original supporting documents other than the passport, and reserves the possibility of an interview or additional evidence. Online form completion is therefore a preparation step, not an electronic visa grant or confirmation that ministry clearance can be omitted.
Chennai’s local checklist adds financial and residence evidence
The Chennai Deputy High Commission’s research checklist requires two white-background photographs measuring 35 by 45 millimetres, old passports where available, a bank certificate or statement and local identity and utility-bill evidence. Its covering letter must identify the research topic or field and where the work will take place. Prepare a description matching the actual project rather than a generic tourist-purpose statement.
Chennai also requires institutional letters from both ends and a mandatory ministry consent or recommendation. Its published fee statement exempts Indian nationals, while directing other nationalities to the separate fee page. Living in India does not itself establish the Indian-nationality fee exemption. Its photograph count and additional-document list differ from New York’s, so use the receiving office’s requirements. The mission may request further evidence. No universal filing deadline or guaranteed research-visa processing time was established by this checklist; allow time to secure the host and ministry documents before the proposed research start.
Seoul’s payment and recommendation wording needs its own check
The Seoul embassy’s Research/Training/Internship page, updated 15 June 2026, gives a three-month duration and requests a travel order, appointment proof, an invitation, two photographs and the online visa form. Foreign passport holders also need a residence card with at least six months’ validity. Its list does not expressly repeat the separate ministry-consent item appearing on the other mission pages.
That omission should not be interpreted as an exemption from clearance. Ask Seoul whether the programme’s appointment and invitation suffice or whether a ministry recommendation must also be obtained. The page directs applicants to visit with the required documents to establish the fee, and expressly rejects online payment receipts in favour of ATM or bank receipts. Follow that local instruction rather than New York’s card-payment sequence. Taken together, the differences show why a researcher should confirm the receiving mission, document requirements, payment method and permitted stay before treating any one public checklist as universally applicable.
