Last checked: 13 September 2026. Every fact on this page was read that day, directly from the Indian government or IVAC page named next to it. Nothing here is copied from another guide. Open the links and check us.
Rules change. If you are reading this long after 13 September 2026, treat the date above as the warning it is meant to be.
1. Read this first: what we could NOT verify
We are putting this at the top, not the bottom, because it is the part that can hurt you if you assume otherwise.
- We do not know which document list the IVAC counter actually applies on the day. Two official lists exist (section 3). Neither says it replaces the other. Neither says which one the officer at the desk is using.
- We cannot tell when the IVAC document page was last edited. Its visible byline says 16 January 2017. The server sends no last-modified information, so the byline is all anyone has.
- Processing time, visa validity, number of entries and permitted length of stay are not published on either source. We searched both for those words: the only "validity" either one states is the six months your passport must have left. If another website states these as plain numbers, ask which page the number came from.
The number of medical attendants allowed on the paper (IVAC) route is not published anywhere we could find.Corrected 13 September 2026. That was wrong. India's Bureau of Immigration does publish a number, and it names Bangladesh specifically: "Three medical attendants shall be allowed in case of Bangladesh nationals" (source, read 13 September 2026). It is still not on IVAC's page, and it still does not settle the separate online e-Visa route, which states two without naming a nationality. All three statements, with their sources and the gap between them, are on our medical attendant visa page.- Which country's ministries the organ-transplant clearance means. The High Commission's document says "Law Ministry & Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)". It does not say India or Bangladesh. We are not going to guess (section 5).
- What happens if your visa runs out before treatment is finished. That is a different set of rules, published by a different Indian government office, and we have set them out separately — see the series list at the end of this page.
- Any hospital name, treatment price, waiting time, success rate or doctor. We have verified none, so we publish none. We give no medical advice.
2. A warning about dates, including on the official pages
Most guides to this subject carry no date at all. That matters more here than in most subjects, because the official sources themselves carry very different dates — and one of them is visibly out of date.
On the day we checked, the IVAC homepage still showed a pop-up and an "Advisory 1" describing the restricted period. The pop-up says, in English:
"In view of the current situation, IVAC is currently processing only limited number of visas of emergency and humanitarian nature. For other pending applications, we are returning the passports…"
And Advisory 1 says the five centres "have started offering limited appointment slots for Bangladesh nationals requiring urgent medical and other visas of emergency nature" (source, read 13 September 2026).
Neither carries a date. Our process page sets out, with dated sources, what has changed since that period. Do not read undated text on any website, including an official one, as today's status.
Which source carries which date, and how we established it
| Source | Date on it | How we read that date |
|---|---|---|
| High Commission of India, Dhaka — "VISA DOCUMENTS: CATEGORY-WISE" PDF | No date printed inside the document | Three external signals, all checked 13 Sep 2026: the file name contains `13082026`; the PDF's own embedded creation timestamp reads 12 August 2026, 14:43 IST; the web server reports the file was last modified Friday 14 August 2026, 06:14 GMT |
| IVAC — Kind of Visas & Documents | "Admin January 16, 2017" | Printed on the page itself. Server sends no last-modified information, so we cannot tell whether the text has been edited since |
| IVAC — Important Advisory for medical visa | "Admin April 24, 2024" | Printed on the page itself |
| IVAC homepage — pop-up, Advisory 1, Advisory 3 | None shown | We looked. There is no date on any of the three |
| IVAC homepage — visa processing fee notice | "with effect from 10.08.2025", stated inside the text | Printed in the notice itself |
We are reporting the dates that exist. We are not claiming the older documents are wrong — only that you are entitled to know how old each one is before you rely on it.
3. The two official document lists do not match
There are two official checklists for a medical visa from Bangladesh.
- The High Commission of India, Dhaka publishes a 25-page PDF called "VISA DOCUMENTS: CATEGORY-WISE", linked from its own website menu as "Documents Required for Visa". Pages for the medical visa cover sub-categories M1 (patient) and M2 (medical attendant), and separately M3 and M4 (AYUSH treatment and its attendant). PDF, read 13 September 2026.
- IVAC, the visa application centre, publishes "Kind of Visas & Documents". Page, read 13 September 2026.
Neither document states that it replaces the other. Neither tells you which one to follow. We are not going to resolve that for you, because we cannot — we have no source that settles it. What we can do is show you exactly where they differ, in their own words — here in full, or cut down to one situation by our Indian medical visa document checklist tool, which is built from this page and still shows every difference as a difference.
The money requirements differ, in three separate ways
This is the most important difference on the page, because it is the one that costs you money and time to get wrong.
| What | IVAC says | High Commission PDF says |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-currency endorsement | "US$150/- per applicant" | "US$ 200/-" |
| How old the endorsement may be | "not older than 1 (one) month at the time of submission" | "should not be older than three months at the time of submission" |
| Bank statement period | "updated bank statement (last 3 month)" | "Bank statement for last six months showing sufficient funds" |
Verbatim, so you can check the wording yourself:
IVAC: "Proof of Financial soundness: International travel card like SBI Travel card / updated bank statement (last 3 month) / endorsement of foreign currency equivalent to US$150/- per applicant ( Endorsement should not be older than 1 (one) month at the time of submission), International credit card with running year endorsement in the passport." — https://www.ivacbd.com/kind-of-visas-documents, read 13 September 2026
High Commission of India, Dhaka (M1/M2 section): "Proof of Financial soundness: Bank statement for last six months showing sufficient funds OR Endorsement of foreign currency equivalent to US$ 200/- (Endorsement should not be older than three months at the time of submission) OR copy of international credit card or Travel card (Example - SBI Travel card) its deposit statement." — https://hcidhaka.gov.in/pdf/Visa_Category_Wise_Documents_Required_13082026.pdf, read 13 September 2026
We are not picking a winner, and notice that you cannot pick one either. The newer document is not simply stricter. It asks for more dollars and a longer bank statement, but it is more relaxed about how old the endorsement may be — three months instead of one. "Follow the newer one" and "follow the stricter one" are different instructions here, and they point in different directions on different lines.
There is one thing both agree on, and IVAC states it bluntly:
"Fake dollar endorsements will be treated as the reason of visa rejection of the visa application." — https://www.ivacbd.com/kind-of-visas-documents, read 13 September 2026
A note on what these dollars are. The endorsement is proof that you have funds. It is not a fee, and it is not money paid to the High Commission, to IVAC, or to anybody else. On what is actually charged, see our page on visa fraud and fees.
On how much foreign currency a bank in Bangladesh may release to you at all, and the separate limit that applies to treatment abroad, see our page on the dollar endorsement limit.
The other differences we found
| What | IVAC says | High Commission PDF says |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of residence | "A copy of National ID Card and Utility Bill such as electricity, telephone, gas or water bill (not less than 6 month old)" | "A copy of the electricity bill OR gas bill OR landline telephone bill (not less than 6 months old)" — a water bill is not listed |
| If you are self-employed | Not addressed. The list names an employer's certificate, a student ID card, or retirement papers | Adds two more options: a government order copy for a serving government employee, and "A copy of the Registration granted to the Business establishment by the Government of Bangladesh along with an English translation [if not in English] (In case of self employed persons)" |
| The letter from the hospital | "Medical certificate, in original, from recognized hospitals/ doctors indicating in detail the medical condition of the patient" | Names the recognitions explicitly — see section 4 |
| Organ transplant cases | Not addressed in the medical-visa entry | A separate clearance requirement — see section 5 |
| If the patient is a child | Not addressed in the medical-visa entry | A specific rule — see section 5 |
Every cell in both tables above is quoted from one of the same two documents, named in the column heading it sits under: https://www.ivacbd.com/kind-of-visas-documents and https://hcidhaka.gov.in/pdf/Visa_Category_Wise_Documents_Required_13082026.pdf, both read 13 September 2026.
Both documents use the same odd phrase about the utility bill, "not less than 6 month(s) old". We are quoting it exactly as written rather than telling you what we think it means.
Both lists also end with the same warning, and it is the honest one. The High Commission's PDF closes every category with:
"Please note: The above list of documents are not final. High Commission of India, Dhaka reserves the right to ask any additional documents for processing the visa application." — https://hcidhaka.gov.in/pdf/Visa_Category_Wise_Documents_Required_13082026.pdf, read 13 September 2026
No checklist anywhere, including this page, can promise you a complete set.
4. The letter from the hospital: the High Commission names which recognitions count
This is the single most specific requirement in the newer document, and it is the one we could not find stated this plainly anywhere else. For a medical visa in sub-categories M1 and M2, the High Commission's PDF asks for:
"A letter of appointment from a Government/ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research)/NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers/MCI (Medical Council of India)/CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) recognized hospital in India." — https://hcidhaka.gov.in/pdf/Visa_Category_Wise_Documents_Required_13082026.pdf, read 13 September 2026
We have reproduced that sentence exactly as it appears in the document, including the bracket after "Providers" that is never closed.
The same list asks separately for:
"Copy of invitation letter (Medical/Ayush visa)"
So the document names two items — a letter of appointment, and a copy of an invitation letter. IVAC's page asks for a "Medical Invitation letter from India with specific date" and a "Medical certificate, in original". Read both lists before you assume one letter covers everything.
For AYUSH treatment (sub-categories M3 and M4) the wording is different, and we are quoting it rather than summarising it:
"A letter of appointment from a hospital/wellness centre accredited and registered with relevant government authority(ies) concerned or NABH/NCH/NCISM accredited hospitals providing AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) services." — same PDF, M3/M4 section, read 13 September 2026
To be clear about who we are: Infirmy holds no accreditation, lists no hospitals today, and has no role in any of this. The sentences above are the Indian High Commission's requirements about the hospital that writes your letter. They are not statements about us, and we are not telling you which hospital to choose.
5. Two rules only the High Commission's document states
Neither of these appears in IVAC's medical-visa entry. Both come from the M1/M2 section of the same PDF, read 13 September 2026.
If the case involves an organ transplant
"Necessary clearance from Law Ministry & Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in case of Organ Transplantation cases (viz., Kidney, Liver, etc.)"
The document does not say which country's Law Ministry or which country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are not going to guess, and you should not accept a guess from anyone else either. Ask IVAC or the High Commission directly, in writing, and keep the reply.
Note that this clause appears only in the M1/M2 section. The M3/M4 (AYUSH) section of the same document does not carry it.
Separately, India's Bureau of Immigration publishes its own rule about when an organ transplant requires a medical visa specifically — that is a different rule, on a different government website, and we set it out on our arrival and FRRO page.
If the patient is a child
"Minor applicants have to be compulsorily accompanied by parent/guardian as medical attendant. In case patient is minor, then parents may apply visa as medical attendant (M2) and any other sibling or minor child who is dependent on M2 visa holder may apply for X-Misc visa."
Two things in that sentence are worth reading twice. The word is "compulsorily" — for a child patient, the attendant is not optional. And the route named for a brother or sister travelling along is X-Misc, not a medical visa. The equivalent M3/M4 paragraph says the same thing with "M4" in place of "M2".
More on who may travel with a patient, and the separate online route that does publish a numerical limit, is on our medical attendant visa page.
6. What both official sources do agree on
These items appear on both lists in substantially the same terms. Checked 13 September 2026 on both sources.
- Passport in original, valid at least six months on the date you submit, with at least two blank pages.
- All old passports must be submitted with the application form. IVAC states that without them the application "will be treat as incomplete".
- One recent colour photograph, 2x2, full face, white background. IVAC adds the detail: not less than 3 months old, 350x350 pixels.
- A copy of the National ID card, or a birth certificate where that applies.
- Proof of profession.
- Medical documents and reports about the illness — though the wording differs. The High Commission asks for documents "from local doctor along with medical reports"; IVAC asks for a "Medical certificate, in original, from recognized hospitals/ doctors".
- An invitation letter from India. IVAC specifies that it must carry a specific date.
IVAC additionally requires the online visa application form carrying the BGD registration number, and warns that your date and place of birth must match across your current passport, old passports, NID card and birth certificate.
7. Check it yourself — the four addresses that count
Everything above came from these. None of them is Infirmy, and you do not need us to read them.
- High Commission of India, Dhaka — https://hcidhaka.gov.in/. The document list sits in the visa-services menu of the site as we read it, under "Documents Required for Visa". Direct link to the PDF we read: https://hcidhaka.gov.in/pdf/Visa_Category_Wise_Documents_Required_13082026.pdf
- IVAC Bangladesh — https://www.ivacbd.com/, and https://www.ivacbd.com/kind-of-visas-documents
- IVAC's medical advisory — https://www.ivacbd.com/important-advisory-for-medical-visa. Short, and it contains the rule about visiting only the hospital your visa was issued for.
- The Government of India's e-Visa portal — https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/. Be careful here: this is the separate online route, with its own rules, not the IVAC route this page describes. For the IVAC route, use the "Apply Online" button on IVAC's own site — IVAC links the application form it wants you to use. The online route is explained on our medical attendant visa page.
If anyone tells you a rule that is not on one of these, ask them which page it is on. IVAC runs its own standing advisory headed "Beware of Touts/Agents/Fake Visa Promises", shown on both the IVAC pages we read — the homepage and the medical advisory (source, read 13 September 2026). Its own government channel is telling you to be careful with intermediaries. We are an intermediary. Apply the same test to this page.
8. The rest of this series
- Indian medical visa from Bangladesh: the process — the four steps, the categories, what it costs, why appointments are the real constraint.
- How many people can travel with a patient — the attendant routes, and the numbers each one publishes.
- After you arrive in India — FRRO registration, the hospital's own duty to report you, the e-Arrival Card.
- When treatment outlasts your visa — the Bureau of Immigration's one-paragraph extension rule, the blank certificate a treating hospital fills in, and the numbers it does not publish.
- Changing hospital on a medical visa — both offices say FRRO permission is required; neither publishes a form, a document list, a fee or a deadline for asking.
- The dollar endorsement limit, and how much money you can take to India — Bangladesh Bank's travel entitlement, the separate limit for treatment abroad, and what India publishes about money you bring in.
- Indian medical visa fraud from Bangladesh — what the High Commission itself says about agents, fees and appointment slots.
- Questions to ask before you pay a medical travel agent — the questions, and what a real answer looks like.
About this page
Infirmy is a marketplace. Hospitals and medical facilitators list for free and pay only per qualified lead they receive — no commission on treatment. Today it has none listed. This page names no hospital, quotes no treatment price and gives no medical advice. We are not a visa agent and we do not sell visas or appointments. Every fact above carries the government or IVAC page we read it on, and the date we read it. If something here turns out to be wrong, we will correct it here and record when we did.
This is general information about process and paperwork, not medical advice. Infirmy does not diagnose, recommend a treatment, or tell anyone what care to seek.
Sources
Each source below was opened and read on the date shown. If one has changed since, this page is out of date. Tell us and we will correct it and date the correction.
- High Commission of India, Dhaka — VISA DOCUMENTS: CATEGORY-WISE (25-page PDF, linked from the High Commission's own 'Documents Required for Visa' menu; see section 2 for its date evidence)https://hcidhaka.gov.in/pdf/Visa_Category_Wise_Documents_Required_13082026.pdfChecked 2026-09-13
- High Commission of India, Dhaka — homepage (the menu that links the document PDF above)https://hcidhaka.gov.in/Checked 2026-09-13
- IVAC Bangladesh — Kind of Visas & Documents (page byline reads 'Admin January 16, 2017')https://www.ivacbd.com/kind-of-visas-documentsChecked 2026-09-13
- IVAC Bangladesh — homepage (visa processing fee notice; Advisory 1, Advisory 2 and Advisory 3)https://www.ivacbd.com/Checked 2026-09-13
- IVAC Bangladesh — Important Advisory for medical visa (page byline reads 'Admin April 24, 2024')https://www.ivacbd.com/important-advisory-for-medical-visaChecked 2026-09-13
Didn't find what you needed?
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