Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh| All types of visas, work permits and everything you need to know.
Tahmidur Rahman, Director and Senior Associate
20 Oct 2019
Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh- This post in will explain in details the Immigration Law in Bangladesh: Business & Work Permit Visa, Government Delegate visa, BIDA guidelines, FE visa, investor visa, tourist visa – everything you need to know about immigration law in Bangladesh.
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Immigration in Bangladesh
How to get immigration in Bangladesh
Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh : Immigration is a process of people traveling or moving from one destination to another and becoming permanent residents or citizens of another State for employment, marriage or settlement, whether legally or illegally. Traditionally, the immigration process has been of great political, economic , and cultural benefit to States. As people cross national frontiers during their migration, they are called refugees from the point of view of the country they enter. On the other hand, from the perspective of the country they leave, these migrants are termed emigrants.
Bangladesh has recently gained considerable worldwide attention due to its booming business and growing economy. As well as Bangladesh ‘s easy immigration law , foreign people from all around the globe have been inspired to stay there and continue their business. Many foreign nationals have attracted this to pursue jobs in Bangladesh or to invest in Bangladesh. This article provides an overview of Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh and the different schemes and procedures to be followed in Bangladesh for obtaining citizenship or a visa.
How to get the citizenship of Bangladesh
Step by step process of Obtaining citizenship in Bangladesh
In regards to Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh, most nationals require a valid visa to enter Bangladesh. Type, visa category, and length of stay are determined / confirmed by the Embassy. The type and category of visa will differ depending on the intent of the visit, the duration of stay and bilateral agreement with the foreign national ‘s country. Any amendments made by the Government of Bangladesh to the rules and regulations will apply to issuing visas.
But in regards to citizenship procedure in Bangladesh, A person who has resided in Bangladesh for 4 ( four) years during the last seven (seven) years can apply for Bangladesh citizenship.
Bangladesh’s nationality law regulates the citizenship and nationality problems of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The law governs the status of nationality and citizenship of all people born in Bangladesh, as well as of all persons of Bangladesh descent. This helps the children of expatriates, foreigners as well as Bangladesh residents to evaluate their citizenship status and to apply for and receive Bangladesh citizenship if appropriate.
In regards to Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh, the primary legislation relating to Bangladesh citizenship is the 1951 Citizenship Act, originally the 1951 Pakistan Citizenship Act, later modified by a series of statutory orders passed by the Bangladeshi Government.
Requirements of obtaining a citizenship in Bangladesh
- (a) That he is not a minor
- (b) That he is neither a citizen of [Bangladesh] nor a subject of any state of which a citizen of [Bangladesh] is prevented by or under any law from becoming a subject by naturalization;]
- (c) that he has resided in [Bangladesh] throughout the period of twelve months immediately preceding the date of application, and has, during the seven years immediately preceding the said period of twelve months. Resided in [Bangladesh] for a period amounting In the aggregate to not less than four years;
- (d) That he is of good character;
- (e) That he has adequate knowledge of the [Bengali] language; and
- (f) That he Intends, if the application is granted, to reside in [Bangladesh] or to enter or continue in the service of the [Republic] in [Bangladesh].
Obtaining a certificate of Naturalization
If the above conditions are met, then the person seeking Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh must apply to the appropriate government authorities in Bangladesh for a Certificate of Naturalization.
Any application for a Naturalization Certificate shall be in writing and shall state to the best of the applicant ‘s knowledge and belief-
- (a) His age
- (b) His place of birth;
- (c) His place of residence.,
- (d) His profession, trade or occupation
- (e) Full particulars regarding his qualification;
- (f)Whether he has at any time previously applied for the grant of a certificate of naturalization;
- (g)Whether any such application has been rejected
- (h)Whether any such certificate has been granted to him; and
- (i)Whether any such certificate granted to him has been revoked or whether he has been deprived of his citizenship.
After receiving the Certificate of Naturalization, the applicant would be registered as a citizen of Bangladesh. ( Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh)
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Government Delegate visa in Bangladesh
A. Who are eligible to apply
Government Delegates who want to visit Bangladesh for the purpose of official tour/duty/visit, they are eligible to apply for Government Delegates visa.
B. Duration of Government Delegates visa
Government Delegates visa may be issued for as required with single, double or multiple entries.
- Print-out of duly filled-in Visa application form with applicant’s signature;
- 01 (one) recent passport size (45X35 mm) colour photograph with a white background;
- Passport (with at least for six months validity);
- Note Verbal from the concern Ministry mentioning the applicant’s position, duration of stay and purpose of visit in Bangladesh;
- Previous Passport and visa (if any) along with a photocopy.
Business visa in Bangladesh
The applicant should apply for the B visa in respect of business travel visa. The following documents must be sent to the High Commission or Embassy of Bangladesh in the respective country for obtaining a B-Business visa-
- The completed and signed visa application form;
- Original passport, valid for at least six months;
- The visa processing fee;
- Three passport-sized recent photographs;
- Invitation letter from a business organization in Bangladesh;
- Letter from your employer confirming your position in the company;
- Your flight/travel itinerary;
- A self-addressed, pre-paid special delivery envelope.
After obtaining B visa, the visa holder can reside in Bangladesh for 180 days.
Types of work permit in Bangladesh
To any foreign national pursuing jobs in Bangladesh, a work permit is compulsory. In Bangladesh, there are 3 government authorities issuing work permits.
1. For private sector industrial enterprise, branch office and liaison office, outside of Export Processing Zone (EPZ) – Board of Investment (B01).
2. For employment of foreign national in the EPZ – Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA).
3. For employment of foreign national in any NGO – NGO Affairs Bureau.
Complete step by step process of obtaining a work permit in Bangladesh
For any foreign national seeking employment in Bangladesh, the first move is to get a work permit to work in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) is the primary government authority in Bangladesh to grant work permits for foreign nationals pursuing jobs in private companies or industries or public enterprises. This government agency is the primary agency that decides if a foreigner should obtain a work permit to work in Bangladesh. For foreign nationals seeking work permit in Bangladesh, BIDA has a specified form. Please click here to download the Form.
Necessary documents required for a work permit in Bangladesh
The following papers/documents are required for new work permit(Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh)
1. Application in prescribed form along with passport size photographs of the foreign national(s) attested by the Managing Director/Managing Partner/Proprietor/appropriate authority.
2. Attested copy of the permission letter for Branch/Liaison Office/Company.
3. Commercial Enterprise from the appropriate authority, if not submitted earlier.
4. Board resolution regarding employment of foreign national(s) including salary & other benefit.
5. Memorandum, Article of Association and Certificate of Incorporation of the Company duly signed by shareholders, if not submitted earlier.
6. Attested photocopy of passport with arrival stamp ‘E’ type visa for employee and ‘PI’ type visa for investors.
7. Attested copy of service contract/agreement and appointment letter, in case of employee.
8. Attested copies of all academic, professional and experience certificate for employee (Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh).
9. Paper clipping showing advertisement made for recruitment of local personnel prior to appointment of the foreign national(s).
10. Statement of manpower showing list of local and expatriate personnel employed with designation, salary details, nationality and date of first appointment.
11. Encashment certificate of inward remittance in favor of Liaison/Branch office for the last 2 years.
12. Encashment certificate of inward remittance of minimum US$ 50,000 as initial establishment cost for branch/liaison offices and locally incorporated/join-venture and 100% foreign ownership companies.
13. Up-to-date income tax certificate for branch office of the locally incorporated companies in Bangladesh.
Guidelines of BIDA for foreign nationals
Foreign nationals must keep in mind that BIDA strictly maintains the following guidelines:
- Applicants of the work permit must be from a country which Bangladesh recognizes as a nation.
- Employment of the foreign national is considered only in industrial/commercial establishments which have been registered by the appropriate authority.
- Employment of foreign nationals is normally considered for the job for which locals are not available. However, this is not a mandatory requirement.
- Persons under the age of 18 years are not eligible for employment.
- A decision of the board of directors of the concerned company or institution for new employment is to be furnished in each case.
- BIDA ensures that the number of foreign employees does not exceed 5% in the industrial sector and 20% in the commercial sector of the total employees.
- Initially, employment of any foreign national is considered for a period of one year, which may be extended on the merit of the case.
BIDA – Step by step process
Step 1: Publishing newspaper or an online advertisement
For the recruitment of a prospective employee the employer must first put a print in a Bangladeshi newspaper or internet advertising. The newspaper or online advertisement must provide a list of the duties that the employee will be expected to perform, future employee credentials, wage description (negotiable or not), work place, and any other necessary terms of employment. Essentially this advertising sets out a job description.
Step 2: Application for the E Visa Recommendation
Thereafter, the employer must apply to BIDA for the E Visa recommendation in favour of the foreign national. The documents that must be submitted to BIDA are as follows-
- Copy of permission letter for branch/liaison/representative office or Memorandum of articles of association and certificate of incorporation in case of a locally incorporated company.
- Board Resolution for the employment of foreign nation(s) mentioning Expatriate Name, Nationality & Passport Number
- Photograph of the Expatriate.
- Copy of passport of the Expatriate/Investor/Employee (Whole of the used part).
- Appointment Letter/transfer order/service contract or agreement for expatriate/investors.
- Certificate of all academic qualification & professional experience for the employees
- Paperclipping showing advertisement made for recruitment of local personal prior to the appointment of the expatriate(s)
- Specific activities of the company
- Statement of manpower showing a list of local and expatriate personal employed with the designation, salary break-up, nationality and date of the first appointment. (Latest Copy)
- Encashment certificate of inward remittance of minimum U.S $50,000.00 as initial establishment cost for branch/liaison/representative office and locally incorporated/ joint venture and 100% foreign ownership companies.
- Up-to-date Income tax clearance certificate (Organization)
Please keep in mind that all the documents must be attested by the Chairman/ CEO / Managing director/ Country Manager/ Chief executive of the Company/ firms.
Step 3: Application for E Visa in the respective Bangladesh Embassy or High Commission
Once BIDA issues the E visa recommendation, the foreign national must apply for E visa in the respective Bangladesh Embassy or High Commission in their country. Once the E visa is issued, the foreign national should enter Bangladesh with the E visa.
Step 4: Application for a work permit in Bangladesh
After arrival in Bangladesh, the foreign national must submit an application for the work permit to BIDA within 15 days. A fee of Tk. 5,000 is applicable for applying for the work permit.
The following papers/documents are required for a new work permit:
- Attested photocopy of passport with arrival stamp ‘E’ type visa for an employee
- Copy of permission letter for branch/liaison/representative office or Memorandum of articles of association and certificate of incorporation in case of the locally incorporated company.
- Board Resolution for the employment of foreign nation(s) mentioning Expatriate Name, Nationality & Passport Number
- Photograph of the Expatriate.
- Copy of passport of the Expatriate/Investor/Employee (Whole of the used part).
- Appointment Letter/transfer order/service contract or agreement for expatriate/investors.
- Certificate of all academic qualification & professional experience for the employees
- Paperclipping showing advertisement made for recruitment of local personal prior to appointment of the expatriate(s)
- Specific activities of the company
- Statement of manpower showing list of local and expatriate personal employed with the designation, salary break-up, nationality and date of the first appointment. (Latest Copy)
- Encashment certificate of inward remittance of minimum U.S $50,000.00 as initial establishment cost for branch/liaison/representative office and locally incorporated/ joint venture and 100% foreign ownership companies.
- Up-to-date Income tax clearance certificate (Organization)
Step 5: Security Clearance
Once a work permit is issued by BIDA, a copy of the work permit would then be sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs for security clearance by BIDA. After some scrutiny, security clearance will be issued. (Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh)
If you want to know everything about obtaining a VISA in Bangladesh - Read this Article
FE – visa in Bangladesh
One additional feature of the E Visa is that after the foreign national obtains work permit through E Visa, he is eligible to bring his spouse or dependent members to Bangladesh through the FE VISA.
Authorized Period of stay: the same length of stay as the Principal visa trip in the E category.
Birth/ marriage certificates must be presented to BIDA to obtain the FE Visa. (Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh)
Investor visa in Bangladesh
The investor visa is applicable to foreign investors who want to invest in a business in Bangladesh.
The applicant for a visa must obtain and fill out the Bangladesh High Commission application form in their respective country. The following documents and the Visa application must be sent to the Bangladesh High Commission (Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh)-
- A printed copy of duly filled in the online VISA application form and signed accordingly;
- Recent passport size colour photo- 2 (Two) copies with white background;
- Original Passport (valid at least for six months) with a photocopy of photo page;
- Recommendation letter from BIDA/BOI/BEPZA.
Tourist visa in Bangladesh
- Filled-out online Application form (print out copy with a signature signed
- Passport and a copy of the main page.
- 2 recent colour photographs(2 inches size and a stamp size 2 cm. x 2 cm.) with a white background.
- An employment letter (mentioning that individuals appointment/post, passport number, duration of period serving in the company and salary. ) OR an invitation letter from Bangladesh in the subject in Tourism together with a copy of a passport of the host/ a person who invites you to Bangladesh.
- A copy of Hotel reservation.
- A copy of the recent book bank or bank statement (alternative)
- A copy of Ticket
- A valid Passport with a sufficient number of pages
- Copy of the previous visa
After the tourist visa period ends, the visa applicant can apply for extending the visa.
“One additional feature of the E Visa is that after the foreign national obtains work permit through E Visa, he is eligible to bring his spouse or dependent members to Bangladesh through the FE VISA”
Student visa in Bangladesh
Students seeking admission to any government-approved educational institution must apply at their respective Bangladeshi Embassy or High Commission for a student visa (Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh ).
The following documents must be submitted to the Bangladeshi Embassy or High Commission in order to apply for a student visa:
- Proof of letter from the Bangladesh Bangladeshi educational institution where the applicant got admission or is going to get admission;
- Sponsorship letter from the Bangladeshi educational institution;
- Bank statement of the previous three months;
- Student ID issued by the Bangladeshi educational institution with a photocopy;
- Two copies of 45mm X 35mm photographs;
- Filled-in visa application form.
Diplomatic visa in Bangladesh
This visa applies to individuals employed in a diplomatic position. To apply for a diplomatic visa, the following documents must be submitted to the respective Bangladesh ambassy or high commission.
- Official letter from the concerned Government/ Embassy/ Office/ Organization;
- Two copies of 45mm X 35mm photographs;
- Filled-in visa application form
- Letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs required for the Exemption of the Visa fees for the official visits
- Visa will be given on the Official Passport.
NGO visa in Bangladesh
A person who has been named to a Bangladesh registered NGO is eligible for a visa from the NGO. The following documents for NGO visas must be sent to the relevant Bangladeshi Embassy or High Commission (Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh):
- A certified letter from the concerned NGO in Bangladesh which should be duly attested by the NGO Affairs Bureau, Dhaka stating that the visa applicant has been appointed by the concerned NGO;
- The appointment letter issued by the concerned NGO with the terms and conditions from the NGO where the applicant has been appointed;
- A letter from the present employer of the applicant;
- Two copies of 45mm X 35mm photographs;
- Filled-in visa application form.
- Recommendation letter from the concerned Bangladeshi NGO.
Journalist visa in Bangladesh
Journalists from newspapers / magazines / TV or radio networks / news agencies / print , electronic or satellite media / self-employed journalists will be eligible for a journalistic visa for their professional service in Bangladesh. To obtain a journalistic visa, the following documents must be submitted by the visa applicant to the respective Bangladesh embassy or high commission (Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh):
- A support letter from his/her employer describing the purpose of the visit to Bangladesh;
- Filled in FF-Iand FF-II forms;
- Two copies of 45mm X 35mm photographs
- Filled-in visa application form.
- Passport copies
- One set of a copy of the work permit in the country that he/she is employed in.
- A copy of the journalist/press identity card
- A recommendation letter from the current employer in their respective country, providing necessary information such as the details of the journalist, what subject will be reported or what information will be obtained in Bangladesh and the types of equipment that will be necessary to conduct the report in Bangladesh.
Immigration practice at TR Barristers in Bangladesh
The Barristers, Advocates, and lawyers at TRW (Tahmidur Rahman, TR Barristers in Bangladesh) in Gulshan 1, Dhaka, Bangladesh are highly experienced at providing any kind of services related to immigration for foreign nationals. This is often considered as the best Immigration law chamber in Bangladesh, it has assisted numerous clients to obtain visa in Bangladesh. It can provide any kind of documentation, paperwork, consultation or any other related services to any foreign national who seeks visa in Bangladesh or anything in regards to the Immigration and Citizenship in Bangladesh. For queries or legal assistance, please reach us at:
E-mail: info@trfirm.com
Phone: +8801847220062 or +8801779127165
House 410, Road 29, Mohakhali DOHS
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