Immigration
Work permits routed through BIDA, not a labour ministry
Foreign employees need a work permit issued by BIDA (or the relevant zone authority) plus an E-type visa. Permits are tied to a sponsoring entity and a nominal local-to-foreign staffing ratio applies.
Key rules
- Deadline — Work permit application before commencing employment
- Deadline — Visa extension applied for at least 30 days before expiry
Governing law
- Foreigners Act, 1946
- Bangladesh Citizenship Act, 1951
- BIDA work permit guidelines
In practice
The indicative ratio is twenty local employees to one foreign employee in industry, five to one in commerce, applied with discretion. Security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs is a real bottleneck and can take months. Overstaying attracts fines assessed on departure and can bar re-entry.