Chattogram is Bangladesh's port city and its second airport city, and that shapes how its residents apply for visas. A good share of the trips are about trade: buyers' meetings, factory audits, fairs in Europe. Another share are family trips and work in the Gulf. The awkward part is that only a few foreign governments take applications in Chattogram itself, so many files still mean a journey to Dhaka. Below we separate what you can lodge locally from what needs the capital, quote what the official lists say about flights, and explain when an itinerary should start at Shah Amanat (CGP) instead of Dhaka. We are online only; there is no DummyTicketPrice counter in Agrabad or anywhere else.
Chattogram at a glance
| Item | Position for Chattogram residents (checked October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Airport | Shah Amanat International (CGP), Patenga, run by CAAB; international since 1990.[1] |
| Italy (also Malta, Slovakia) | VFS, World Trade Center, Agrabad.[4] |
| Canada | A visa application centre in Chittagong for biometrics.[5] |
| Germany | German Embassy Dhaka, VFS appointments only.[2] |
| Netherlands | VFS Dhaka only.[7] |
| UK | Latest GOV.UK notice we found names Dhaka and Sylhet, not Chattogram.[6] |
| India | IVAC Chattogram was reported suspended in December 2025; reopening not confirmed by us.[11] |
| What we charge | $9 a head, settled by debit or credit card on Razorpay |
Which visas can you lodge without leaving Chattogram?
Two that we could confirm, and a third whose status is unclear.
Italy. The Italian Embassy accepts applications only through VFS and lists a Chattogram office on the fifth floor of the World Trade Center on Agrabad's Commerce College Road.[4] The same page gives Dhaka and Sylhet as the other offices, says visa submissions run Sunday to Thursday mornings, and notes that translation and legalisation services are offered at the same addresses.[4] Italy also processes Schengen visas for Malta and Slovakia, which makes the Agrabad office more useful than it first looks.[4]
Canada. IRCC's official list of application centres includes Chittagong as well as Dhaka and Sylhet.[5] For a visitor visa you apply online and attend the centre for fingerprints and photo, so a local centre saves a lot of hassle.
India. All India Radio reported on 21 December 2025 that the Indian Visa Application Centre in Chattogram had suspended operations after a security incident.[11] We could not find an official notice of reopening in October 2026. Check the IVAC Bangladesh website or ask the Assistant High Commission before you plan around it.
Which applications still need a trip to Dhaka?
Most of the rest. Germany handles Schengen applications through VFS for its embassy in Dhaka and is firm that appointments come only through VFS.[2] The Netherlands takes files at VFS Dhaka only, and only from people living in Bangladesh.[7] US visa interviews happen at the embassy in Dhaka.[13]
The UK is a special case. The newest GOV.UK notices on centre locations that we could find, both from early 2014, describe UK centres in Dhaka and Sylhet only, run by VFS Global.[6] They are old, so check the live centre list when you book online. For what Britain thinks of flight bookings in a visitor file, which is not much, see our UK visa guide.
So build a Dhaka day into your plan for these. The Dhaka centres themselves are described on our Dhaka page.
Trade fairs and buyer meetings: Germany's business sheet
For the port city's exporters, importers and shipping people, the German business sheet is the one to read. Its heading covers business, trade fairs and congresses.[3] The travel section, headed "Flight and hotel reservation", accepts either a reservation or an itinerary, and it adds in plain terms: "You do not have to book the flight; you only have to reserve it."[3]
What the sheet adds beyond tourism is evidence of the business itself. It asks for an invitation from the German company or authority with the purpose and length of the trip, details of any fair or congress, and the Bangladeshi company's trade licence in English.[3] It even suggests proof of trade relations, giving an L/C copy or a bill of lading as examples, which most Agrabad firms have to hand.[3] Exhibitors who show their status as a fair exhibitor are offered a gratis visa.[3]
The embassy keeps the right to ask for more or to call you to interview.[3] Our wider business visa guide covers other countries' approach.
Going to a fair in Europe?
A held CGP or DAC reservation costs $9 per traveller and usually lands in your inbox within ten minutes.
How the flight wording compares
| Country | Where you file from Chattogram | Official words on flights | What we suggest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany, business | VFS, Dhaka[2] | Reserving is sufficient; buying is not required[3] | Our hold suits it |
| Netherlands | VFS, Dhaka[7] | Unpaid booking in your own name accepted[8] | Our hold suits it |
| Italy, Malta, Slovakia | VFS, Agrabad[4] | Category lists live on VFS's site; we could not open them | Use the VFS list for your purpose |
| Canada | VAC Chittagong for biometrics[5] | No fixed flight requirement for visitors | Optional |
| USA | Embassy, Dhaka[13] | Tickets should wait until a visa is issued[12] | Leave it out |
Wording such as "confirmed" or "paid" in a list handed to you sets a higher standard than a hold. Our document might not meet it; in that situation we would point you to a refundable fare.
Foreign nationals living in Chattogram
Port, shipping and industrial work brings foreign staff to Chattogram, and they can generally apply from Bangladesh if they live here. Germany's business sheet sets two extra conditions for foreigners: their Bangladeshi residence permit has to outlast the requested visa by three months, and a photocopy of it goes in the file.[3] The Dutch rule is that you may submit in Bangladesh only if you live in Bangladesh.[7] For the US, schedule where you reside or where you are a national.[13]
Example: a Sri Lankan quality manager at a Chattogram factory, whose permit expires in five weeks, should renew it before lodging a German application, not after. The reservation uses the name in her Sri Lankan passport and starts wherever she will actually fly from.
Making a Dhaka appointment work from Chattogram
A missing page costs far more when the counter is a day's journey away, so treat the Dhaka trip as part of the application. A few habits help.
- Travel the day before. Morning slots at Gulshan centres are hard to reach from Chattogram on the same day, and a late arrival can mean rebooking.
- Carry two complete sets of copies: passport pages, trade licence, bank statements and the reservation. If a VFS officer wants an extra copy, you will not be hunting for a print shop.
- Open the PNR in your hotel the night before. A schedule change found then can be fixed; one found at the counter cannot.
- Keep the return journey flexible in case biometrics run late.
None of this belongs on the visa reservation. The bus or train to Dhaka is your own logistics; the reservation shows only the trip abroad. If you hold onward documents for a Gulf job, our Bangladeshi travellers guide explains what happens at departure.
Should your itinerary start at CGP or Dhaka?
Start it where you will truly board. Shah Amanat sits at Patenga on the Karnaphuli, about 18 km south of the railway station, and became an international airport in 1990.[1] CAAB lists airport offices for Biman, Novoair, US-Bangla and Air Astra there.[1]
Direct international choice from CGP leans towards the Gulf, which suits the many Chattogram families with relatives working in Oman and the UAE. SalamAir sells Chattogram–Muscat on its own site, and Air Arabia sells Chattogram–Sharjah.[9][10] For Europe, North America or East Asia you will usually connect, either through one of those Gulf hubs or via Dhaka, where around forty foreign and local airlines operate.[14]
| Your plan | What the reservation should show | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Fly from CGP via the Gulf | CGP, Gulf hub, destination, and back | Connections that look implausibly tight |
| Train or bus to Dhaka, fly from DAC | DAC to destination and back | Your form should name Dhaka as the departure point |
| Domestic hop CGP–DAC, then abroad | One itinerary covering both legs, only if you will fly it | Domestic leg dated on the same day as the international one |
Chattogram examples
An Agrabad garment exporter visiting a buyer in Germany. Imagine a merchandising director invited by a German retailer for meetings and a fair visit in spring. She gathers the invitation, the company's English trade licence and a recent L/C copy, as the business sheet suggests.[3] Her VFS appointment is in Dhaka, so she takes the evening train up the day before. Three days earlier she orders a reservation from CGP via Dubai to Frankfurt and back, because CGP is where she will actually fly from. After the visa is issued she buys the real fare.
A Halishahar family taking a summer trip to Italy. A couple with two children plan ten days in Rome and Florence. Italy is one of the few countries they can apply for in their own city, at VFS Agrabad.[4] They follow the VFS checklist for tourism, order one reservation with all four names a few days before the appointment, and keep the hotel, insurance and flight dates identical.
When to order from Chattogram
Work backwards from the submission date, and if that is in Dhaka, allow for the journey too. A hold can stay alive for a fortnight but no longer, and individual airlines often set a shorter limit. We suggest ordering two or three days before you hand in the file. A postponed appointment calls for a new reservation, not a stale one.
Ordering, step by step
- Decide where you file: Agrabad for Italy, the Chittagong VAC for Canada, Dhaka for most others.
- Pick your departure airport honestly: CGP or DAC.
- Complete the order page: airports, travel dates and each person's name as the passport shows it.
- Settle $9 a head on the Razorpay card screen; longer multi-stop trips are explained on the price page.
- Collect the PDF from your email, typically around ten minutes after paying.
- Retrieve the booking on the airline's website; our step-by-step check shows how.
Order status lives on the tracking page.
Slip-ups to avoid
- Mixing "Chittagong" and "Chattogram" across documents. Either is fine; pick one.
- Booking a German appointment through a middleman. The embassy says VFS only.
- Relying on IVAC Chattogram without checking it is open.
- Choosing a connection that needs its own transit visa for your passport. Check our transit visa guide.
- Showing the reservation at CGP check-in. It will not board you.
Questions Chattogram applicants ask
Is any Schengen country handled in Chattogram itself?
Yes, for Italy, and through Italy for Malta and Slovakia, at the VFS office in the World Trade Center, Agrabad. Germany and the Netherlands take Bangladesh residents' applications in Dhaka, so for those you will need to travel. Check each embassy's page before booking anything, because centre lists in Bangladesh change.
Does Germany want a paid ticket for a business trip?
No. The German Embassy Dhaka's business, trade fair and congress sheet lists a flight reservation or travel itinerary and states that you only have to reserve the flight. It puts much more weight on the invitation, trade licence and proof of trade relations, such as an L/C copy or bill of lading.
Is the Indian visa centre in Chattogram open?
We could not confirm that. All India Radio reported on 21 December 2025 that IVAC Chattogram suspended operations after a security incident, and we found no official reopening notice in October 2026. Check the IVAC Bangladesh site or contact the Assistant High Commission of India in Chattogram before you go.
Can the reservation leave from Shah Amanat airport?
Yes, if that is your real plan. Airlines selling international trips from CGP on their own websites include SalamAir to Muscat and Air Arabia to Sharjah, with onward connections. If you will instead go to Dhaka by road or rail, start the itinerary at DAC so it matches your form.
Where do Chattogram residents give biometrics for Canada?
Locally. Canada's official list of visa application centres includes Chittagong, along with Dhaka and Sylhet. You apply online first and then attend the centre for fingerprints and a photo. A flight reservation is optional for a Canadian visitor visa; our Canada guide explains when it is worth adding.
I am a foreign manager at a Chattogram factory. Can I apply from here?
Generally yes, if Bangladesh is where you live. For Germany, your Bangladeshi permit must still be valid three months after the visa you want would end, and the Dutch centre in Dhaka takes only people living in Bangladesh. Check your permit's expiry first, then order the reservation under the name in your own passport.
What is the price for a Bangladeshi applicant?
Each traveller costs $9, and a return is the same price as a single. A route with extra stops is charged $9 for every two legs. You pay with a card on the Razorpay page; with no office in Chattogram we cannot accept cash. Expect the PDF in your inbox about ten minutes after payment.
Order from Chattogram today
$9 per traveller, starting from CGP or Dhaka, checkable with the airline.
Keep it honest: our document is a seat on hold, not a fare you have paid for. It cannot buy you a visa. Describe it truthfully, line the dates up across the file, and respect whatever the consulate decides.
More help: our home page, how visa flight reservations work, country-by-country rules, onward tickets and hotel reservations. Bangladesh pages: Dhaka, Khulna and the Bangladeshi travellers guide. Country guides: Germany, Italy, Canada and Schengen.
Sources
All sources last checked: October 2026.
- Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, Shah Amanat International Airport, Chattogram.
- German Embassy Dhaka, Schengen visa.
- German Embassy Dhaka, Information sheet: Schengen visa, business / trade fair / congress.
- Embassy of Italy in Dhaka, Where to apply for a visa.
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Find a visa application centre.
- GOV.UK, UK visa application centres relocating in Bangladesh and UK visa application centre changes location (2014).
- NetherlandsWorldwide, Applying for a Schengen visa in Bangladesh.
- NetherlandsWorldwide, Checklist: Schengen visa for tourism.
- SalamAir, Chattogram to Muscat flights.
- Air Arabia, Flights from Chattogram to Sharjah.
- All India Radio News, Indian Visa Application Centre suspends operations in Chattogram (21 December 2025).
- U.S. Department of State, Visitor visa.
- U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh, Visas.
- Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Airlines directory.
