Bangladesh country guide

• The steady growth in electronic and economic sectors of Bangladesh for the past decade has made ecommerce more acccessible and efficient.
• Bangladesh’s import regulations are more rigorous, and Bangladesh’s Customs require more documents than most countries.
• Bangladesh suffers from insufficient energy and transportation infrastructure and political unrest.

• The duty and VAT rates are moderate, which is fair for landed cost.
• The de minimis for imports into Bangladesh is low, which means most imports incur duty and tax, which can make for a more expensive landed cost.

• There are several stringent legal regulations for importing into Bangladesh.
• Registration requirements, delays, and corruption allegations are common.

• All major carriers offer shipping services to Bangladesh, allowing for easy access.

• Bangladesh uses a variety of digital payment methods, including mobile and internet banking.

Duty and tax will be charged only on imports into Bangladesh where the total FOB value of the import exceeds Bangladesh's minimum value threshold (de minimis). Anything under the duty de minimis value will be considered a duty-free import. However, tax fees are charged on all imports since the tax de minimis is 0 BDT.

Duty and tax de minimis 

• Tax De minimis: 0 BDT
• Duty de minimis: 1000 BDT

Based on the FOB value of the order

• Standard import VAT rate range: 0-15%

Applied to the CIF value of the order

Bangladesh has an average duty rate of 14% and a maximum rate of 25%. It is applied to the CIF value of the order.

• Advance income tax (AIT): Bangladesh imposes a 5% AIT on goods imported for commercial purposes, not consumer goods. Rates may change in the near future for industrial imports, raw materials, and more.
• Supplementary duty: Bangladesh charges a supplementary duty of 0-500%, which applies to luxury items such as cigarettes, alcohol, and perfume.

Bangladesh has at least 14 trade agreements that offer a zero or highly discounted duty rate for goods manufactured in participating countries.

Bangladesh also has several additional trade agreements in the works, but they are not set to take effect until after Bangladesh advances from a least developed country to a developing one in 2026, which has been approved by the United Nations.

Bangladesh is a member of the World Trade Organization

As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Bangladesh must abide by the most-favored-nation (MFN) clause, which requires a country to provide any concessions, privileges, or immunities granted to one nation in a trade agreement to all other WTO member countries. For example, if one country reduces duties by 10% for a particular WTO country, the MFN clause states that all WTO members will receive the same 10% reduction.

• DHL Express
• FedEx
• UPS
• Fox Parcel
• United Express Bangladesh
• USB Express

Depending on the courier, additional shipping fees may include:

• Tracking
• Insurance
• Fuel surcharge
• Remote delivery charge
• Signature fee
• Overweight or oversized fee
• Special handling fee
• Dangerous goods fee
• etc.

• Bill of lading or air waybill
• Commercial invoice
• Letter of credit authorization form
• Certificate of origin

Commercial importers and private industrial consumers are required to undergo a registration process. Both must register with the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports (CCIE) within the Ministry of Commerce to obtain import registration certificates (IRC). IRCs allow commercial importers to import any amount of non-restricted goods. Industrial consumers have a maximum value for each product the consumer is allowed to import each year under the IRC, with the inclusion of restricted items. The required registration is in place to manage imports of raw materials and machinery, which usually enter Bangladesh with reduced duty rates.

The most popular ecommerce sites in Bangladesh are Clickbd, Bikroy, Rokomari, Daraz, Chaldal, and Shohoz.