Visa for the United States from Bangladesh: price, documents and processing time 2026

Yes. Bangladesh is not among the Visa Waiver Program countries, so ESTA is not available to Bangladeshi passport holders. For a short tourist, family or business trip the required document is the B1/B2 visa. Study, employment or immigration plans fall under separate visa categories.

The published fee is the government charge alone. Two or three other lines are added before the visa is in the passport, and they are what makes the final bill.

• Government fee185 USD

  Paid to the state, non-refundable if the visa is refused.

• Application centre feeVariable, set by the operator

  Only when the post uses an external centre. The amount is set locally and we do not publish a figure we cannot verify.

• Agency or online serviceOptional, added on top

  Never compulsory. An intermediary fills the form for you, it does not change the decision or the processing time.

• ExtrasVariable

  Courier return, SMS tracking, compliant photo, insurance, sworn translation or legalisation, depending on what the post requires.

We only display amounts published by an official source. Confirm the total before paying anything.

Have ready a valid Bangladeshi passport, the DS-160 confirmation page, a photo meeting U.S. specifications, and the MRV fee receipt. Add evidence of your situation in Bangladesh: employment, a business, property or family bonds, plus any invitation or booking where relevant. The exact MRV fee should be confirmed on travel.state.gov, as it changes periodically.

First complete the DS-160 form online on the Consular Electronic Application Center. After paying the machine-readable visa (MRV) fee, book an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, which handles nonimmigrant visa applications for Bangladesh. The in-person interview is generally mandatory for applicants aged 14 to 79.

Then the application goes to the post accredited for Bangladesh, often in a neighbouring capital, or to a state acting on its behalf. Confirm which post is competent with the official source before travelling to a third country to apply, a rejected file at the wrong counter costs the trip and the fee.

The regime follows your nationality, not where you live. If you reside in Bangladesh but travel on another country's passport, the rule on this page is not yours. Filing usually still happens from your country of residence, at the post competent for it, but the requirement itself comes from your passport.

The timeline depends first on the wait for an interview slot in Dhaka, then on passport processing after approval. Check the appointment and processing times published on the official site before committing to travel costs. Some applications undergo additional administrative processing, so avoid non-refundable tickets until the visa is stamped in your passport.

The most widespread mistake is trying to travel under ESTA, which does not exist for Bangladesh. Next, refusals under section 214(b) are common when an applicant fails to demonstrate sufficient ties to the country. Finally, proofread the DS-160 carefully: a mismatch between the form, the passport and your interview answers can sink the application.