Date of publication:
08/21/2025
Bangladesh
Do domestic laws and policies provide access to travel documents and entry/exit visas for family members of forcibly displaced and stateless persons for the purpose of family reunification?
Assessment by population
Analysis
The domestic laws and policies of Bangladesh do not provide access for family members of refugees or seekers to travel documentation and entry/exit visas for any purpose be it family reunification or any other cases. The legal framework of Bangladesh does not have law or policy for refugees and is not a state party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. However, in practice there are some instances of family reunification cases where UNHCR provides support and coordinate in documentation, identification and verification related matters. In these cases, the Government of Bangladesh do not provide any travel documentation to the refugees or asylum seekers. Usually, if the refugee does not have any documentation of his own, the receiving 3rd country issues travel documentation for the person of concern for a limited amount of time. The Government of Bangladesh provides exit visas to the refugees holding a valid passport, but the one without any valid passport gets exit permit for a short period within which the person must leave the country through approved and mentioned port in the document. For the issuance of exit permit/visa, a fee is required, however, the applicant can write to relevant authorities for exemption/waiver of the fee. Lastly, when it comes to issuance of entry visas, the Government of Bangladesh does not provide any entry visa or permit to the refugees or asylum seekers for the purpose of family reunification.