Border control at Bangladesh airports: what happens to travellers and their data

Arriving: the steps at the border

Air travellers arriving at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka go through immigration, run by immigration police under the Special Branch of Bangladesh Police ⁶. Visitors who qualify for a visa on arrival get it from the immigration officer at the point of entry, who reviews their documents ¹.

Visa on arrival fees are paid in cash at the port of entry, in US dollars, euros or pounds sterling. The Special Branch page tells travellers to use the same port for entry and departure ¹. Holders of e-passports can use e-gates instead of a staffed desk ³.

Entry permission: visas and visa on arrival

The Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) runs an online visa form at visa.gov.bd. Applicants fill it in, print it and take it with documents and the fee to a visa office or Bangladesh mission. The portal covers new visas, extensions, no-visa-required endorsements and on-arrival visas. Its fee table carries a 2012 copyright notice and may be out of date ².

The Special Branch lists who may get a visa on arrival at HSIA. The groups include visitors from countries with no Bangladesh mission, and nationals of countries that grant landing permits or visas on arrival to Bangladeshis. Foreign investors, exporters, people invited to government seminars, and staff of embassies and UN bodies in Bangladesh with appointment letters may qualify too ¹.

A visa on arrival allows a single entry of up to 30 days. Travellers need a valid passport, a return ticket for short stays and at least USD 500 in cash or a credit card, except those on government duty. Nationals of countries under an official ban do not qualify. The page does not name those countries or state the fee ¹.

In October 2022 Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement to set up an e-Visa and electronic travel authorisation system on a government-to-government basis ⁶. The sources reviewed for this guide did not confirm that such a system is running as of 19 October 2026.

Biometrics and e-gates

Bangladesh began issuing e-passports in early 2020. The DIP and the German company Veridos GmbH signed the project agreement on 19 July 2018, with help from the Bangladesh Army, under the Security Services Division of the Home Ministry. The plan is to deliver 30 million e-passports over ten years. The total project cost was put at Tk4,569 crore ⁴.

Passport offices take fingerprints, iris scans and photos at enrolment ⁴. In March 2021, 15 e-gates were installed at HSIA, with three at Benapole land port and two at Burimari land port ⁴.

On 7 June 2022 the e-gates at HSIA started working for e-passport holders, with 27 gates open and 50 planned across airports and land ports. After the passport is scanned, a camera at the gate checks the traveller against the passport chip ³. The report did not say whether foreign e-passport holders may use the gates ³.

Passenger data: plans for an advance passenger information system

In October 2020 an inter-ministerial meeting approved an Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) for HSIA. Airlines would send passenger lists with name, address, passport and visa details, nationality, date of birth, origin, destination and travel status. The Special Branch would run the system. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) was to hold an international tender, with ICAO supervising ⁵.

The plan said the system operator would receive a fee per passenger under its agreement ⁵.

On 28 December 2022 CAAB signed a memorandum of understanding with Emirates Technologies Solutions (Etek), which is wholly owned by the UAE government and supported by SITA. Etek would install, run and maintain APIS. The memorandum was extended for six months on 29 January 2024, and CAAB was reviewing the financial offer (status: proposed, under review) ⁶.

Under the plan, data would go to the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre, the Rapid Action Battalion and the Tourism Board, among others ⁶. The sources reviewed did not show whether APIS is live as of 19 October 2026, or set out a retention period for passenger data.

Watch lists and checks

In 2024 an official told the Bangladesh Monitor there was no central integration of no-fly lists or blacklists for foreigners, and that APIS would make such people easier to identify ⁶. The 2020 plan said the system would flag suspicious passengers and handle alerts such as Interpol red notices and warrants ⁵.

Nationals of countries under an official ban cannot get a visa on arrival or a landing permit ¹. The e-gates read the passport chip and check the traveller's face against it ³.

Your data: the 2025 data protection ordinance

The interim government's advisers approved the Personal Data Protection Ordinance, 2025 and the National Data Governance Ordinance, 2025 on 9 October 2025. The law ministry issued gazette notifications for both, as Prothom Alo reported on 9 November 2025 ⁸.

The ordinance says citizens own their personal data and requires explicit consent before it is collected, stored, transferred or used. People can access, correct and delete their data and restrict automated decisions. Biometric, financial, health and genetic data get stronger protection ⁸.

The National Data Governance Authority regulates the law. Some sections take effect 18 months after publication. Offences carry up to seven years in prison, a fine of up to BDT 20 lakh, or both ⁷.

The law covers government agencies. Exemptions apply for state security, public order and legal compliance where action is proportionate and necessary. Data transfers for law enforcement or international cooperation must follow formal agreements. Asia News Network noted that the law does not explain how proportionality under these exemptions would be assessed ⁷.

Who runs the systems

The DIP, under the Home Ministry's Security Services Division, issues passports and runs the e-passport programme ⁴. The Special Branch runs immigration at the airport and would run APIS ^5,6. CAAB runs airports and leads APIS procurement ^5,6.

Veridos GmbH supplies the e-passport system and the e-gates under its 2018 contract (status: running) ^3,4. Emirates Technologies Solutions is the proposed APIS provider under a memorandum with CAAB (status: under review as of February 2024) ⁶. Redline Assured Security, a British firm, was hired in 2016 for screening work at HSIA, as set out below ^9,10.

Security screening on departure

On 8 March 2016 the UK Department for Transport banned direct air cargo from Dhaka to London over security at HSIA. The EU, Australia and Germany flagged the airport as well ¹⁰. British officials pressed for visible security changes by 31 March 2016 ⁹.

CAAB then negotiated a two-year, Tk 75 crore contract with Redline Assured Security. Redline would deploy about 31 staff to run screening machines at the passenger terminals and cargo complex, and train Aviation Security (Avsec) screeners to take over. Another shortlisted UK firm, Restrata, was dropped ⁹.

Biman installed explosive detection systems, liquid explosive detectors, dual-view and under-vehicle X-ray scanners and detection dogs in the export cargo area. In early 2017 officials said they expected the UK to lift the cargo ban with conditions ¹⁰. The sources reviewed for this guide do not give current passenger screening rules for Bangladeshi airports.