Something About Me

I am Tariqul Islam, and this is a personal blog. After completing my education, I started traveling the world in 2016. So far, I have traveled to 17 countries and want to travel worldwide. I will be traveling to Italy, Spain, and Portugal at the end of next April 2023. Our passport ranking is at the bottom, i.e., one of the weakest. Most countries with visa-free entry are island countries requiring transit to larger countries. If you are transiting to big countries, you have to get a transit visa from them, which is very difficult for us to get. The fares for non-transit flights are always sky-high, which is usually out of reach for budget travelers like us. If you have a valid visa from countries like America, the UK, or Schengen, many countries offer on-arrival visa facilities, but that facility is also limited for us. Our fellow Indian passport holders with valid UK visas get the visa facility on arrival in Singapore or South Korea, which we do not get. Most countries do not have missions or embassies in Bangladesh, and many have missions in Bangladesh, but we have to go to India for visa processing.

Among the missions or embassies that process visas in Bangladesh, several missions also have a lengthy visa process, except for the American embassy; the Philippine mission takes about 2 to 3 months to process the visa. They create obstacles in our travel. However, as LDC countries, some of us are getting opportunities to travel, and big countries are giving visas to eligible people. Civil conditions in many countries are more deplorable than ours. Maybe one day, our country will stand tall. Like Singapore or Japan passport holders, we can also travel visa-free worldwide.

I try to travel to at least 4 to 5 new countries every year after overcoming the busyness of making a living. Due to the covid 19, there was a travel ban around the world for almost two and a half years. That is why the number of countries I have visited is only seventeen. Otherwise, eight to ten more countries would have been added to my travel list.

Initially, I used to process visas through agencies or brokers, but now I process my visas myself. The visas I have personally processed for myself have a 100% success rate. I had a bad experience while applying for an Indian visa in my new passport in 2016, which I can share with you. First, I agreed with an Indian visa agent who would make a visa on my white passport, for which I had to pay ten thousand taka. Of course, that broker was known to me before. I gave him my passport and other related documents along with the money. A few days later, the broker called me and said that a visa officer of the Indian Embassy wanted another twenty-five thousand bdt; otherwise, he would put a rejected seal on the passport. He was forced to pay another twenty-five thousand bdt.

After that, I processed many visas through different agencies. And once I fell into the clutches of an agency called E4-Events, which advertised on Facebook that they were going to hold a business conference in America so that registration would guarantee an American visa. Their visa success rate is 100%. Being brainwashed by them, I and one of my friends (Matiur Rahman) registered for the event by paying 25 thousand taka each. After that, I gave another fifteen thousand for the visa process; when I went for the interview at the American Embassy, ​​they asked me why I wanted to go to America – I said that I want to go to participate in their event, and after saying that, they asked for my passport. I gave the passport to him, and he turned it over and said sorry, I am not satisfied. So you should also refrain from taking advantage of such agencies. The visa officer will grant you a visa when he realizes you will not be illegal in his country but will return to your home country. You don’t need an invitation for it or have to attend any event. They will treat you as a tourist. And if you want to go to any event, do GEO and participate if the government approves.

Generally, the following documents are required for visa processing. You will not need to go to any agency like mine to process the visa if you have these documents.

• Visa Application Form: You must apply for a visa in the prescribed form to visit or enter any country for any other purpose. Generally, application forms can be obtained free of charge from the embassy, ​​embassy website, or visa agent website. Many countries require a visa application form to be filled out online, and your personal information is necessary to complete the application form. So it is best to fill out the application form yourself. Avoid giving false information while filling out the application form. And fill out your application form with care.
• Cover Letter – Write a cover letter to the visa officer at the mission or embassy stating why you want to visit the country. Try writing your cover letter yourself because no one else can write your cover letter with expressions like yours. Try to keep the cover letter short, i.e., one page is best. A cover letter with more than one page can annoy the visa officer.
• Tour Itinerary – A tour itinerary is a brief description of how long and where you will be traveling and staying in the country. Tour itinerary is not mandatory for all countries, and tour itinerary is mandatory in European countries. In the case of other countries, hotel booking and air ticket booking slips have to be provided. You can use Agoda and Booking.com for hotel booking. You can book air tickets free of cost from any ticket booking website using a passport copy.
• Picture – A picture is an essential part of the visa application form. Some countries take pictures while accepting biometric information. However, most countries require a specific format, white background, and images printed on matte paper. Avoid wearing sunglasses and head caps while taking photos. It should be noted that the pictures should not be more than six months old in any case. Some embassies do not want to accept photos taken over three months ago.
• Passport – Your passport must be valid for at least six months and have at least two blank pages. You will also need your old passports, and even lost passport information may need to be provided at the time of visa application.   
• Proof of ability to bear travel expenses – If you want to bear your expenses yourself, you can use your bank statement and solvency certificate as proof. Generally, a six-month bank statement for all countries is mandatory, and a recent transaction of your account is also required. Besides, if you have any fixed deposit, you can also show it, but if it is a small amount, it is better not to show it. A sponsor’s bank account statement and solvency should be provided if your travel expenses are covered. If it is an organization, then its bank statement and solvency should be attached.
• Income Tax Certificate – Your ETIN and Tax Return Certificate should also be submitted with the visa application. Some countries include Japan, and if you want to apply for a visa to visit Japan, you need to submit the tax return certificate along with the tax return receipt, which shows the amount of tax you paid.  
• Proof of Profession – If you are employed, you must submit Office ID Card, Salary Certificate, and No Objection Letter to prove your profession. If you are a businessman, you must submit your trade license, or in the case of a company – certificate of incorporation, memorandum of articles, and Form XII.
• Other Supporting Documents- Your National Identity Card, Visiting Card, vaccine certificate, and Police Clearance Certificate may be required as supporting documents.

If the documents discussed above are in Bengali, they should be translated into English and attested by a notary public.