Embassy of Bangladesh — Local services in Washington

We have heard very negative reviews about the embassy, and now I wonder how they received a 3.4 rating. They should have even worse reviews than this. Please read on, as I have discussed our passport renewal experience in detail.

Communication: One of the worst customer services I have ever had. They will never receive your call. They never reply your email. I don't understand why they put these contact on the website.

Behavior: Their behavior reminds me of Bangladesh, I felt like I am not in the US but dealing with arrogant/dismissive/rude people from passport/nid offices in Bangladesh.

Office hour/pickup/drop-off: This was another horrible experience. Google and website show the embassy is open from 9-4 PM, which was a joke. They close the gate at 1 pm and no one is able to enter to the embassy. There will be no way to communicate to the people inside via phone or camera. It feels like it's their moger mulluk, ja khushi korbe, dekhar to keu nai. No where they mentioned that they don't provide client services after 1 PM.

About passport delivery: nowhere on the delivery slip, in the issuance email or inside the embassy as notice on the wall, they mentioned that the passport pick up hour is only 1 hour from 12-1PM. They are so unkind, inconsiderate they will not give you passport if you go after 1 PM. We travelled a total of 6 hours but did not give us the passport. However, they will argue with you for hours, will show you lot of excuses but won't simply spend 2 minutes to give you the passport.

Efficiency of people: The biometric guy is so inefficient at computer that he even does not want to edit an address. There were some recent changes in the police station in my permanent address in BD, which I only knew after the application submission. I requested the guy to edit the address which he could not and he assured me this won't be an issue. But my passport came back from Bangladesh for rework. I tried to reach out to them via phone and email. No one responds to phone and after sending several email someone responded. I sent my correct address and clearly mention in the email with red color that this change would apply to both permanent and emergency address. Even after all these, they only corrected the permanent address (not the emergency) and sent it back to SB clearance. The police made a big deal out of it and of ofcourse the obvious solution was "money"

Behavior: The lady in the reception desk (progga) is extremely rude and very dismissive. We went to embassy for pick up after 1 PM and someone let us in as the gate was closed. She was so rude and the kept asking us " apnaderk k dukhte dise, keno dukhsen, kivabe dukhsen, website poren na ha tan". When my husband requested her to bring someone who we can talk to for getting the passport, she told my husband "apni reception area te dukhsen keno, han tan and used some inappropriate sentence such as "apni chaile amake marteo paren". We had to return without the passport even though the guy who delivers the passport was there, it was office time and above all it would take less than 5 minutes to complete the delivery. In summary, they will do everything in their power not to help you :)

Harassment: As a student I applied for student discount and took my I-20 and copy of id card. In the entire world, I-20 is considered as the official proof of student but guess what she said why should I believe that this was not printed earlier and you are no longer a student. She said I need proof from department, and I said this was not in the website, she said "likha ase dorkari document ante hobe". Then she made me login to my student account, she took a look and thats it, this looking into student account, is this an official proof or a way to harass people?

The embassy: there is no rest room at the embassy which is very inconvenient when people need to wait several hours for biometric. There is no cell phone network or wifi.

Even though they don't have time to receive calls/respond emails, I am sure the she will come here...

I visited Bangladesh Embassy at Washington D.C. on 4th April, 2025 to submit my biometrics for the E-passport. Overall, I had a good experience. This was the first time I visited Bangladesh embassy, which felt like a "piece of home". The instruction on the website was clear and easy to follow for me. Besides, I found answers to all my "probable" confusions. I am glad that the embassy already provided clear guideline to some unavoidable situations in the website, such as- expecting 4-5 hours to get the service, instructions for a missed appointment, etc. The employees were helpful and treated the applicants kindly. I also had a smooth experience during 2020 COVID year, when I renewed my machine readable passport via mail. That time I also found clear instruction for the application process and got my passport via mail within the expected time frame.

Although I personally had a positive experience, I have the following feedbacks that the embassy may consider to improve their service. Send reminders via e-mail/text about any upcoming appointment; also include the option of "re-schedule" at this reminders. My original appointment date was 3rd April, 2025 (10 am); but the embassy was closed on that date to observe independence day and Eid holidays. While I was taking my appointment there was no notice about this. I found out this on the previous day of my appointment. The embassy should consider that many applicants travel from other states to DC. Getting a heads up related to such events will be helpful to plan ahead of time and avoid hassle.

The embassy should anticipate that some applicants may appear "unprepared". There could be a document checking table to see that the applicants have the right papers in right order for their desired service; when they check in and get their numbered tokens. This will make everyone's life easier, and save everybody's time.

Have trash disposal cans in the waiting areas. Having a water fountain will also be a great addition. During my visit, I did not find any trash cans or water source in the waiting area.

Lastly, I have no doubt about the embassy's commitment to provide smooth service. Taking some simple but smart approaches will definitely accelerate that purpose.

Follow up: Today (26 April, 2025) I received my passport via mail. It was delivered in timely manner. The online portal I opened for this passport application was also showing updates regularly. Thank you for the wonderful service and keep up...

I recently had a highly disappointing experience while completing Power of Attorney (POA) work at the embassy. The elderly representative assisting us displayed a shocking lack of professionalism and respect throughout the process.

During our appointment, the representative rudely interrupted our session to take a personal call that lasted approximately 20 minutes. He proceeded to provide POA-related advice to the person on the phone, who had been referred to him by his seniors. The representative even went as far as agreeing to conduct POA signing process on a video call with this individual, stating that it was an exception being made for them. This behavior was not only disrespectful to us but also highly unethical and inappropriate given that we were left waiting for an extended period.

When the representative finally returned to our work, he hastily marked where we needed to sign. My elderly aunt, who was with me, required a bit more time to complete her signatures due to her age. Instead of showing patience and understanding, the representative shouted at us, saying, "Can you guys sign faster? If you guys are so slow, how can I continue my other work?" This aggressive and insensitive behavior left us feeling humiliated and disrespected, especially considering the fact that he had just wasted 20 minutes of our time on a personal call.

It is absolutely unacceptable for a representative of the embassy to treat people in such a manner, particularly in the presence of other individuals waiting in the room. This behavior is a poor reflection on the embassy and its standards of customer service.

Additionally, we were asked to come pick up our documents at 1 pm. Upon arriving at 1 pm we had to wait another 20 minutes because the representative at the front desk told us they were on lunch break, if this was the case then why ask us to pick up our documents at 1?

I strongly urge the embassy to address this issue and provide proper training to ensure that all representatives treat clients with the respect, patience, and professionalism they deserve, regardless of their age or the representative's workload. No one should have to endure such a distressing experience when seeking assistance at...