Work Permit VISA is mandatory for every foreign national seeking employment in Bangladesh. Three government authorities issue a work permit in Bangladesh.

PROCESS OF ISSUING WORK PERMIT BY BIDA:

Private Investment- PI VISA

PI is applicable for investors whose name is on the shareholder’s list. The process of PI visa and work permit is almost similar to E visa and work permit. When a foreigner enters Bangladesh, he enters with specific visas as set by the requirements of the land. Procuring a work permit and visas in Bangladesh could be a hurdle some process at times. If a foreign expat wants to enter Bangladesh, he needs to apply and obtain work permit from the Board of Investment in Bangladesh. Obtaining visa and work permit was previously very difficult but since the Government of Bangladesh is encouraging more foreign investments within the country, the sector of providing visa and work permit has flourished and the system has been now dealt on an online basis, for convenience. In the following we have discussed the procedure of obtaining some important visas, you may also look into the short description of our Immigration services here, which are often applied by the foreign expats, to enter Bangladesh:

Top Priority-based

A3 Visa

Applicable to Experts/advisers / officials / staff members / labors working in any project under the bilateral / multilateral agreement between Bangladesh government and development partner agencies. The visa is issued upon submitting all the required documents to the respective Bangladeshi Embassy along with the recommendation of the Embassy or relevant ministry/ Economic Relation Department/ relevant Government Agency. The length of the visa given is for the period of the employment or five years, whichever is shorter, depending upon the desecration of the visa issuing authority (respective Bangladeshi embassy). Upon expiry of the visa, the expatriate can apply for the extension of the visa to the Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP). The DIP upon receiving the recommendation of the concerned Ministry / Economic Relation Department of the Ministry of Finance / relevant government agency of Bangladesh, Security Clearance and taking into account the conditions of the agreement between the Government and the development partner can extend the visa for the full employment period or up to five years, whichever is shorter.

B Visa

Applicable to businessmen/business representatives. The visa is issued by the respective Bangladeshi Embassy upon receiving all the required documents along with the recommendation of recognized chambers of commerce OR recommendation of the local sponsor in Bangladesh. Embassy issues a maximum of six-month visa. Upon expiry of the visa, the expatriate can apply for the extension of the visa to the Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP). The DIP upon receiving security clearance and the recommendation of the local sponsor can extend the visa for a maximum of three months.

E Visa

Applicable to Experts / advisers / employees / individuals appointed in government / semi-government/ autonomous bodies / projects and equivalent organizations, OR individuals employed in local/ foreign government / semi-government/ liaison / Industrial / commercial organizations or other equivalent organizations OR individuals appointed under local / foreign government / semi-government contractor ship and in equivalent organizations. Embassy upon receiving all the required documents along with the recommendation from the concerned Ministry in Bangladesh / Bangladesh Board of Investment (BOI) / Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) issue the visa for a maximum of three months. Upon expiry of the visa, the expatriate can apply for the extension of the visa to the Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP). The DIP upon receiving the security clearance and the work permit can extend the visa for the full employment period or a maximum of three years, whichever is shorter.

Other Information

Foreign citizens/nationals of India, Pakistan, and South Korea traveling to Bangladesh by air with a valid visa for 90 days or more are required to REGISTER at the airport. In case of entry through the land port, such registration should be completed at the nearest District Special Branch (DSB) / City Special Branch (CSB). Application for extension of visa should be submitted before the expiration of the existing visa. Penalty for over-stay will be imposed if the application for extension of visa is submitted after the date of the expiry of the visa. If the overstay is less than a month, fine can be paid to the customs authority while departing from Bangladesh. However, if the overstay is more than one month, then DIP needs to be informed and they shall inform the visa holder about the required procedure to be followed. If the overstay is less than 15 days then the fine is BDT 200 to 300 per day and if the overstay is for than 15 days then the fine is BDT 1000.