A Painstaking Visa-On-Arrival at Dhaka

I never expect a visa-on-arrival at Dhaka airport could be so not straightforward until I almost refused entry if not because of a bit of luck and wit. Perhaps I underestimated or overlooked it.

I thought by landing on the airport instead of getting in by land border would certainly entitle me a visa-on-arrival without much hassle. It wasn’t until I showed myself in front of immigration counter after paying the visa fee that I realized I was wrong.

“Where is your Letter of Invitation (LOI)?”

“Where is your return ticket?”

“Show me your hotel reservation.”

“Oh, Shit!” I guess it’s too late to say so. I have none of those.

You know what? Bangladesh is so high that you actually need to be invited to come here. The economy here is so good and the job opportunity here is so abundant that one would be tempted to work here illegally to earn the very good Taka. First day on the road already there are people asking me to buy return ticket to return. What a joke!

Perhaps they should add things like bank statement (to prove that you have sufficient money to support your stay here), work confirmation letter (to prove that you have a proper job and won’t end up working illegally here because the economy here is so good) and sponsor (to sponsor you in the event you run out of money or make trouble here).

This is the first time I was requested these documents to get in a country. Visa-on-arrival, as the name suggests, is a visa you get upon arrival. It is a straight forward thing. If you want to impose such requirement, don’t implement visa-on-arrival then. Make it a requirement to apply at embassy or high commission then. Period.

“I’m not coming to work.” “I’m just a tourist visiting your country.”

“I’m not returning to my country.” “I’m going to India over land after this.”

“I’ll be staying at Hotel A.”

I tried to explain my intention and situation sincerely in the hope that he can understand and accommodate it. There were long queue at all three counters. All three officers look impatient and annoyed as if they are doing some critical science project. I don’t understand why they would need to spend an average of 30 minutes on each person for the entire formality. It is computerized after all. The officer attending me seemed not buying my persuasion and kept shouting for return ticket, before signalling me aside and calling “Next!” I was ignored thereafter and he started to attend to the next person.

Being refused and caught unprepared, I stood still, still in front of the counter, trying to play the pity game.

“Mister, I only need 7 days.”

“Mister, I have no intention to work in your country.”

“4 days, Mister!”

“Return ticket.”

“Return ticket.”

“Return ticket!”

After several attempt of a combination of begging and sweet talking, I was still stumped by the great wall of Bangladesh. I decided to leave the counter to clear my mind so as to find my way out. I’m surprised that I played low in dignity. Suddenly, something popped my mind. Hmm, the officer didn’t ask for the LOI and hotel reservation anymore. OK. Perhaps he didn't mean it. So the only obstacle is the return ticket. My gut feel told me that I can get by it eventually even without having to bribe him. Sometimes, you just need to believe your gut feel, especially at the time when you are desperate and have no one else to discuss with.

Judging by the rank on the shoulder, I walked to their superior. He seemed to be more considerate and accommodating. I tried to explain my situation in order to persuade him. I showed him my Indian visa pasted firmly on my passport. Luckily I didn’t apply an Indian e-visa. I also showed him my hotel reservation which is actually a no-reply email. He seemed not in the interest to check the content or verify the authenticity of the document. It is this observation that eventually made me see a light above my brow. In fact, I believe one can even fake the documents using your smart phone.

After rounds of rounds of repeated explanation followed by similar refusal, he asked me to queue at the 2nd counter. I suddenly saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Despite the long and boring queue, this is a good omen to take. I just need to be more patient.

There were lots of foreigners coming to Bangladesh which kind of surprising me. Many Chinese citizens were asked to queue at first counter. Poor them to have been treated like animals. They were mocked from time to time due to their poor command in English. Their passport was thrown on them rudely. On the other hand, a French guy queuing at the third counter can’t stand with the bureaucracy and madness of being asked to queue here and there that he finally lost his temper and shouted out loud. The officer quickly attended to him and stopped the queue changing. White supremacy seems to be still prevailed here to some extent. Imagine if it was me or the Chinese. We could be deported right away.

When it was finally my turn to show up again in front of the second counter after hour-long of punishing queue, the officer asked for my hotel reservation. But when I showed him the no-reply email on my phone, he didn't even bother to see. I was really speechless. He then seemed hesitant and couldn’t make up his mind. He referred to his fellow colleagues as well as his superior, allegedly for discussion.

“10 days, I can only give you 10 days.”

“Thank you.”

10-day visa-on-arrival for Bangladesh

There was a flash moment I wanted to leave to India right away since this country is not welcoming me.

P/s: The series of unfortunate event didn’t stop here. The ensuing event sees me spending the rest of the night on the street, in the rain. Damn it.