DHAKA  – The home ministers of Bangladesh and India today jointly inaugurated the new integrated state-of-the-art Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) at Jamuna Future Park here.

Visiting Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his Bangladesh counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan jointly inaugurated the IVAC by offering a five-year multiple entry tourist visa to Mohammad Nazrul Islam (Muktijoddha Category) and another five-year multiple entry tourist visa to Amal Chandra Natta (Senior Citizen Category).

Besides, Indian Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla handed over one-year multiple entry tourist visa to Jannattul Ferdous and Special Secretary (Border Management), Ministry of Home Affairs, India handed over six-month triple entry medical visa to Begum Sharifa, (going to Bangaluru for medical treatment) to mark the inauguration of the new IVAC.

Later, Head of IT of State Bank of India Jhuma Dutta told journalists that this is the largest Indian visa centre in the world and possibly the largest anywhere.

She said the new IVAC will replace the existing IVACs at Motijheel and Uttara from July 15, 2018. The remaining two IVACs at Gulshan and Mirpur Road will also be shifted to this IVAC by August 31, 2018.

Simultaneously, the existing e-token (appointment) system for submission of Indian visa applications will also be withdrawn from July 15, 2018, Dutta said.

Special Secretary (Border Management), Ministry of Home Affairs, India, Braj Raj Sharma was present on the occasion.

According to the High Commission information, Singh’s three-day visit is taking place in the context of the home-minister level talks held on a regular basis between India and Bangladesh.

Bangladeshis constitute one of the largest numbers of visitors from a single country to India. Last year the country issued 1.4 million visas to Bangladeshi nationals. There are 12 visa centres in Bangladesh, which is the highest number India has in any country in the world.

India issues five-year multiple entry visas for freedom fighters, senior citizens and businessmen.

The centre has services, such as computer-generated token vending machines which will indicate waiting time, comfortable seating in air-conditioned waiting areas, coffee and soft drinks via vending machines, food kiosks and as many as 48 counters for visa applications.

There are separate counters for senior citizens, women, freedom fighters and business applicants. A special counter will provide printing and photocopying services for a fee.