The short answer
A US visa from Bangladesh for a visit is the B1/B2. You fill in the DS-160, pay the USD 185 fee, book an interview at the US Embassy in Dhaka and, if the officer finds you eligible, post a visa bond of up to USD 20,000 before the visa is issued. The bond is refunded when you follow its terms.
In Bangla
পর্যটন বা ব্যবসার জন্য বাংলাদেশ থেকে যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের ভিসা হলো B1/B2, যার জন্য DS-160 পূরণ করে ১৮৫ ডলার ফি দিয়ে ঢাকার মার্কিন দূতাবাসে সাক্ষাৎকারের সময় নিতে হয়, আর অফিসার যোগ্য মনে করলে ভিসা দেওয়ার আগে সর্বোচ্চ ২০,০০০ ডলারের ভিসা বন্ড জমা দিতে হয়। বন্ডের শর্ত মেনে চললে টাকা ফেরত দেওয়া হয়।
Key takeaways
- Bangladeshi citizens cannot use ESTA, so every tourist or business trip to the United States needs a B1/B2 visa and an interview.
- The application runs from the DS-160 on ceac.state.gov to the fee, the appointment on ustraveldocs.com and the interview in Dhaka.
- Since January 2026, Bangladeshi applicants found eligible must post a visa bond, now set at USD 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000, before the visa is issued.
- Pay the bond only after a consular officer tells you to, and only through the link in the officer's instructions.
- Fraud or a misrepresented fact makes you permanently inadmissible to the United States.
A US visa from Bangladesh has always meant an interview and a hard question about your ties to home. Since January 2026 it also means a visa bond: a refundable deposit that Bangladeshi applicants must post once an officer finds them eligible. This guide covers the B1/B2 visitor visa step by step, from the DS-160 to the passport coming back, and explains how the bond is set, paid and returned.
Which US visa do Bangladeshi visitors need?
Tourism, visiting family, medical treatment and business meetings all fall under the B1/B2 visitor visa. Bangladesh is not in the Visa Waiver Program, so ESTA is not available and every trip needs a visa. Study needs an F or M visa and work needs a work visa; a B1/B2 never allows paid work in the United States.
The US Embassy in Dhaka asks applicants to apply in their country of residence or nationality, so Bangladeshis living in Bangladesh interview in Dhaka. Its visas page also carries a notice about Presidential Proclamation 10998, which limits visas for nationals of 39 countries; Bangladesh is not among the countries named in the proclamation as published in December 2025, but check the embassy's notices before you apply.
How do you apply for a US visa from Bangladesh?
- 1
Complete the DS-160
Fill in the online form on ceac.state.gov, upload a photo that meets the US rules and print the confirmation page with its barcode, which starts with AA.
- 2
Pay the visa fee
The B1/B2 fee is USD 185, paid through the options on the embassy's appointment site, such as payment at EBL Bank or online transfer. It is not refunded if you are refused.
- 3
Create your profile and book the interview
Use ustraveldocs.com/bd. The DS-160 number in your profile must match the form you bring, and the embassy says profile or DS-160 changes in the last seven days before the interview cancel it.
- 4
Prepare your papers
Bring your passport, valid at least six months beyond your stay, the fee receipt, the DS-160 confirmation and the appointment letter, plus papers on your job, money, family and travel.
- 5
Attend the interview in Dhaka
Your fingerprints are taken and an officer interviews you. Answer directly and truthfully; the officer may ask for few papers or none.
- 6
Post the bond if instructed
If the officer finds you eligible, you receive written instructions and a link to post the bond. Pay only through that link.
- 7
Collect your passport
Once the visa is issued, the passport comes back through the embassy's delivery service. Track the case on CEAC in the meantime.
Some people renewing a recently expired US visa may qualify for an interview waiver. The embassy's nonimmigrant visa pages set out who can use it; most first-time applicants interview in person. For the waiting time to an interview date, check the State Department's visa appointment wait times for Dhaka.
What is the US visa bond for Bangladeshi applicants?
It is a refundable deposit that guarantees you will follow the terms of your visa. The State Department added Bangladesh to its visa bond list in January 2026. A final rule in the Federal Register, in force since 3 August 2026, made the bond program permanent and set the amount at $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, chosen by the consular officer. The US Embassy in Dhaka says Bangladeshi B1/B2 applicants found otherwise eligible must post a bond of up to $20,000 before the visa can be issued.
| Question | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Who pays it | Applicants the officer finds otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa |
| How much | USD 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000; the rule expects USD 15,000 unless circumstances point lower or higher |
| When you learn the amount | At the interview, from the consular officer |
| How you pay | Through the link in the officer's written instructions, with the DHS bond form, in US dollars |
| Visa while bonded | Three months single entry, three months multiple entry, or up to 12 months multiple entry, annotated |
| Travel condition | Enter and leave by commercial air through a US airport or preclearance location, not by land or sea |
| When it comes back | After you leave on time, if you never travel before the visa expires, or if you are refused entry |
| When it is lost | If you substantially breach the visa terms, for example by overstaying |
The refund goes back to the original form of payment, without interest, once the authorities confirm you met the conditions. If you decide not to travel, the rule lets you ask the consular section to cancel the visa and the bond. From October 2027 the maximum is set to rise with inflation every seven years.
How much does a US visa cost from Bangladesh?
The B1/B2 application fee is USD 185 per person and is not refunded if you are refused. The bond, if the officer requires it, is a separate deposit that comes back when you follow its terms, but you need to have the full amount available in US dollars at the time. Courier delivery of the passport and any agency service fee are extra.
A separate USD 250 visa integrity fee was written into US law in 2025, but we could not confirm from an official source whether it is being collected in Dhaka. Check the State Department's fee page and the embassy's payment page before paying, because fees change.
What happens at the interview in Dhaka?
The officer starts from the presumption in section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act that every visitor intends to immigrate, and you have to show otherwise. In practice that means short, clear answers about why you are going, for how long, who pays, what you do in Bangladesh and why you will come back. Officers often decide from the conversation and the DS-160 and may not ask for papers at all.
- Know your DS-160 answers; the officer reads them as you speak.
- Carry papers on your job or business, income, family and earlier travel, ready if asked.
- If someone in the US invited you, know their status, address and what they do.
- Do not memorise a script; officers hear the same rehearsed answers every day.
The interview is short, so the work happens before it, in a DS-160 whose every answer matches your papers. Agencies that use Visolv have each client's papers read and checked against each other and against the form answers, with names, dates, income and balances matched page by page, and any statement that looks edited flagged so the client can bring the bank's original. The caseworker approves the drafts and the client approves them before anything is used.
Why are so many US visas from Bangladesh refused?
Because the bar is high. Bangladeshi applicants for B visas faced a 61.45% refusal rate in FY2025, according to the State Department's refusal rate table. Most refusals cite 214(b): the officer was not satisfied that your ties to Bangladesh, such as your job, family, property and past travel, would bring you home.
A 214(b) refusal is final for that application, and the letter does not list detailed reasons. You can apply again with a new DS-160 and a new fee, but it makes sense only when something real has changed. Other outcomes, such as a hold for administrative processing or for the bond, show on CEAC as Refused while still open; our guide to the US visa status check on CEAC explains how to tell them apart.
What should you do after the decision?
If the visa is issued, check every detail when the passport comes back: name, date of birth, visa type, number of entries, expiry date and the bond annotation. Plan your flights through commercial US airports, keep evidence that you left on time and keep your bond paperwork until the refund arrives.
If you were refused under 214(b), take time before reapplying and be honest with yourself about what has changed. If you are also considering other destinations, our guides to the Australia visitor visa 600 and the Canada visit visa from Bangladesh set out how those routes work.
A US visitor visa from Bangladesh now asks for two kinds of preparation: a truthful, consistent file for the interview and the means to post a bond if you are found eligible. If you want help with the first, go through a visa agency that uses Visolv, and read how its checks work before your appointment.
The interview itself is short, so it helps to know which questions come up and what each one checks. Our guide to US visa interview questions in Dhaka goes through them one by one. Some agencies that use Visolv also let clients rehearse with an AI officer that asks from their own papers; it helps with clear, truthful answers and cannot promise a visa.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the US visa fee from Bangladesh?
The B1/B2 visitor visa application fee is USD 185 per person, paid before you book the interview through the payment options on the embassy's appointment site. It is not refunded if you are refused. If the consular officer finds you eligible, you must also post a refundable visa bond of up to USD 20,000. Check the State Department's fee page before paying, because fees change.
Do all Bangladeshi applicants have to pay the US visa bond?
The US Embassy in Dhaka says nationals of Bangladesh who are found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa must post a bond before the visa can be issued, wherever they apply. You do not pay it to apply. The consular officer tells you at the interview whether you are eligible and how much the bond is, then sends instructions for paying it.
Is the US visa bond refundable?
Yes, when you follow its terms. Under the final rule, the bond is returned to the original form of payment, without interest, after you leave the United States on time through a commercial airport, if you never travel before the visa expires, or if you are refused entry at the border. It is forfeited if you substantially breach the terms, for example by overstaying.
When should I pay the US visa bond?
Only after a consular officer tells you to, and only through the link in the officer's written instructions. The embassy warns against third-party bond websites and against paying before you are instructed. Paying a bond does not guarantee a visa; the officer still has to complete the case. If the visa is then refused, the bond is cancelled and returned.
Can I get a US visa from Bangladesh without an interview?
Most applicants cannot. First-time B1/B2 applicants interview in person at the US Embassy in Dhaka. Some people renewing a recently expired US visa may qualify for the interview waiver, sometimes called drop box, and the embassy's nonimmigrant visa pages list who is eligible. Check those rules before booking, because using the wrong route wastes time.
How long is a US visa valid when a bond is posted?
Under the final rule, a B1/B2 visa issued after a bond is posted is valid for three months with a single entry, three months with multiple entries, or up to 12 months with multiple entries, depending on reciprocity. It carries an annotation showing the bond. The border officer decides how long you may stay on each entry, so check your admission record after arriving.
The Visolv team
Editorial team, Easital Technologies (Dhaka)
Visolv is software for visa agencies, made in Dhaka by Easital Technologies: an AI caseworker that reads and checks every paper in a client's file, writes the drafts and builds the upload pack under the agency's own brand. We write about what we see in real visa files from Bangladesh.
