United States
Canada
Australia
Netherlands
Ireland
Japan
Cyprus
Student visa for Bangladesh, for students from South Africa
As a citizen of South Africa you will normally need a student visa or residence permit for Bangladesh before your course starts. Some nationalities may enter Bangladesh without a visa and apply for the residence permit there instead; check the official page below for the rule that applies to your passport.
The numbers
- Money you must show
- No fixed amount: a sponsorship letter and a bank statement
- Visa fee
- Set by nationality; check with the Bangladesh mission where you apply
- Work while you study
- Not allowed: your institution must declare that you are not working in Bangladesh
- Stay after you graduate
- No post-study visa found
Required, with your institution's recommendation, to extend a student (S) visa in Bangladesh.
Special Branch, Bangladesh Police: visa categories, checked 2026-11-07
No national fee table for the student visa was published in a form we could verify.
Special Branch, Bangladesh Police: visa categories, checked 2026-11-07
Part of the institution's recommendation for the student visa.
Special Branch, Bangladesh Police: visa categories, checked 2026-11-07
The student visa is tied to your course and its completion year.
Special Branch, Bangladesh Police: visa categories, checked 2026-11-07
The visa
Foreign students study on a student (S) visa, applied for at a Bangladesh embassy or high commission with your admission letter. Your institution must hold ministry approval to admit foreign students.
To extend it in Bangladesh, the Special Branch of Bangladesh Police lists:
- an application form and a recommendation from your institution giving your year, subject, session, roll number, attendance, course length and completion year and a performance appraisal, and declaring that you are not working in Bangladesh
- copies of your passport and visa, and your student ID
- a sponsorship letter and a bank statement
- the institution's list of foreign students and its ministry approval
Extension applications go to the Department of Immigration and Passports, which sends them to the Special Branch for a police report.
The fee depends on your nationality; ask the mission where you apply.
Where to apply
At the embassy or consulate of Bangladesh that covers South Africa, or through the visa application centre it names. Book early: in the busiest months appointments can be weeks away. Apply only through the official website; nobody can sell you a faster place in the queue.
Official pages: immi.specialbranch.gov.bd · du.ac.bd · du.ac.bd. Checked 2026-11-07. Rules change: confirm on the official page before you apply.
Questions students ask
Do students from South Africa need a visa to study in Bangladesh?
As a citizen of South Africa you will normally need a student visa or residence permit for Bangladesh before your course starts. Some nationalities may enter Bangladesh without a visa and apply for the residence permit there instead; check the official page below for the rule that applies to your passport.
How much money do I need to show for a Bangladesh student visa?
No fixed amount: a sponsorship letter and a bank statement. Required, with your institution's recommendation, to extend a student (S) visa in Bangladesh. (source: Special Branch, Bangladesh Police: visa categories, checked 2026-11-07).
Can I work while I study in Bangladesh?
Not allowed: your institution must declare that you are not working in Bangladesh.
This page is general information from official sources, not immigration advice. For a decision about your own case, the official source or a regulated adviser is where that belongs.