Visa & Passport
Bangladesh NVR and Visa Help
Most British Bangladeshis travel on a No Visa Required (NVR) endorsement. Bring your documents to STS Oldham and our team will complete your NVR or visa application with you.
If you or your children were born in the UK, or hold a British or other foreign passport, you need either an NVR endorsement or a visa to travel to Bangladesh. We work out which one applies, then complete the application with you.
No Visa Required (NVR)
For people of Bangladeshi origin on a foreign passport, and their foreign-national spouses and children. It is the most common application we do, and it lasts as long as the passport it is endorsed in.
Tourist Visa
For visitors with no Bangladeshi origin, for example friends travelling with you or a spouse who is not eligible for NVR.
How It Works
- Check the lists below and gather the documents. If you are not sure whether NVR or a visa applies, call us on 0161 627 5742.
- Bring them to our office at 101 Westend Street, Oldham OL9 6AL. We check the information with you.
- We complete the application. You check it and sign it, and we explain exactly what happens next.
Please do not complete the application before you come in. Completing it with you is the service we provide, so we can make sure the details match your documents.
NVR
No Visa Required (NVR) Checklist: What to Bring
NVR is for people of Bangladeshi origin on a British or other foreign passport, and for their spouses and children. It allows multiple entries with no limit on the length of stay, for as long as the passport is valid. Nationals of SAARC countries cannot get NVR.
Everyone Brings
- Your foreign passport (for example British), original, valid for at least six months, and a photocopy of its photo page.
- One recent colour passport photograph.
- If your name differs between any of your documents: a deed poll countersigned by the FCDO, with a photocopy.
- If you are not a British or EU citizen: proof of your UK residence (for example your residence permit).
If You Were Born in Bangladesh or Hold Bangladeshi Documents
- One of: your Bangladeshi passport, valid or expired (machine-readable photo page, or pages 1 to 5 of a handwritten passport); your Bangladeshi NID; your 17-digit digital birth certificate; or a Bangladeshi citizenship certificate (issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Originals and photocopies.
If You Are Applying Through Your Spouse
- Your spouse’s Bangladeshi passport, NID or birth certificate, with a photocopy. Your spouse’s own NVR does not count.
- Your marriage certificate: a Bangladeshi original attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or, if you married in the UK, the council-registered marriage certificate countersigned by the FCDO. Original and photocopy.
- A declaration of marriage, made on the day.
- Both of you must attend an interview together at the Bangladesh High Commission.
For Children Not Born in Bangladesh
- The child’s birth certificate showing both parents’ names, with a photocopy.
- A parent’s Bangladeshi passport (valid or expired), NID or birth certificate, with a photocopy. A parent’s NVR does not count, and each child needs their own NVR.
Checklist last reviewed . Requirements can change and some cases need extra documents, so our team confirms the list for your case.
TOURIST VISA
Tourist Visa Checklist: What to Bring
This checklist is for a tourist visa. It does not cover business, work or other visa categories, and extra documents may be needed depending on your nationality.
- Your original passport, with at least six months’ validity and two blank pages, and a copy of its photo page.
- Two recent passport photographs on a white background.
- If you are travelling on a non-British passport: evidence of your UK residence or immigration permission. Our staff will confirm which evidence applies to you.
- One of these: a host invitation with your host’s Bangladeshi passport or NID copy, an organisation invitation, or a hotel confirmation.
- Three months of UK or Ireland bank statements or payslips showing funds for the trip.
- A flight reservation if you have one, plus your intended travel dates and contact details.
Checklist last reviewed . Requirements can change and some cases need extra documents, so our team confirms the list for your case.
Good to Know
- You check and sign the completed application yourself.
- An NVR endorsement is tied to the passport it is placed in: when you renew that passport, you need a new NVR.
- Applications to the High Commission are by appointment or by post, and NVR is never an urgent service: allow at least a week in person and around six weeks by post before you travel.
- Please avoid buying non-refundable travel until your NVR or visa has been issued.
- Decisions are made by the issuing authority, not by STS Oldham. We cannot guarantee an outcome or a processing time.
Send your details and we will contact you to arrange a time. Please do not attach or send scans of your documents; bring the originals to the office.
Frequently Asked Questions
My children were born in the UK. Do they need NVR or a visa?
Usually NVR, through a parent’s Bangladeshi passport, NID or birth certificate (not the parent’s NVR). Bring each child’s birth certificate showing both parents’ names. Each child needs their own NVR.
My British passport has been renewed. Is my old NVR still valid?
No. NVR is endorsed in a specific passport, so a new passport needs a new NVR. Bring both passports if you still have the old one.
My spouse is not of Bangladeshi origin. Can they get NVR?
Yes, through your Bangladeshi passport, NID or birth certificate and your marriage certificate, and you both attend an interview at the High Commission. Your own NVR is not enough on its own. If your spouse is not eligible, we apply for a tourist visa instead.
Is visa help covered by ATOL?
No. NVR and visa application assistance are separate services and are not covered by ATOL protection.