🇧🇩 Bangladesh visa and immigration options

Employment (E) Visa and BIDA Work Permit

Standard route for foreign employees: an initial E (Employment) visa followed by a mandatory work permit issued by BIDA (or BEPZA for Export Processing Zones).

Processing time

The E visa has an initial validity of 3-6 months; work-permit processing can take from a few weeks to several months.

Typical costs

Several hundred to low thousands of USD depending on permit duration and sector.

Government fees

Work-permit fees vary by permit duration (1, 2, or 3 years), set by the issuing authority.

Work and study rights

Full right to work for the sponsoring employer once the work permit is secured.

Family

Spouse and unmarried children may apply for D (Dependent) visas; they generally cannot work without their own permit.

Important: The employer must demonstrate the role requires specialized skills not readily available among Bangladeshi nationals, and quotas on foreign hires may apply. The work permit is mandatory even when entering on an E visa, and the employer remains responsible for reporting the employee's status to BIDA and the Special Branch of Police.

Sources reviewed: rivermate.com Bangladesh work-permits guide, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA)

Student Visa

Visa for foreign students admitted to a recognized Bangladeshi educational institution.

Processing time

Typically a few weeks once admission is confirmed.

Typical costs

Tuition is generally modest by regional comparison.

Government fees

Visa application fee plus tuition at the host institution.

Work and study rights

Full-time study; work rights are generally not permitted on a student visa.

Family

Spouse and children may apply for D (Dependent) visas in limited cases.

Sources reviewed: Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA)

Business Registration and Company Setup

Process for registering a company in Bangladesh, often paired with the Private Investment (PI) visa for a durable business presence.

Processing time

Company registration can take a few weeks to a couple of months.

Typical costs

Varies by sector and company structure.

Government fees

Company registration fees with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC).

Work and study rights

Right to manage and work in the established business, subject to the PI visa and any linked work permit.

Family

Dependants may apply for D visas separately.

Sources reviewed: Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC), Bangladesh

Dependent (D) Visa

Visa for spouses and unmarried children joining a sponsor who holds a valid principal visa and work permit, or Bangladeshi citizenship.

Processing time

Typically a few weeks to 2 months.

Typical costs

Modest government fees; cost of translating and notarizing civil documents.

Government fees

Visa application fee.

Work and study rights

Dependants generally cannot work on a D visa and need their own work permit to do so.

Family

Covers spouse and unmarried children of the sponsor.

Sources reviewed: rivermate.com Bangladesh work-permits guide

Private Investment (PI) Visa

Visa for foreign investors and their dependants making a qualifying investment in a Bangladeshi enterprise.

Processing time

Varies by case; investment review can take several weeks to months.

Typical costs

No single published minimum threshold; varies by sector and project scale.

Government fees

Government processing fees; company registration costs.

Work and study rights

Right to manage and work in the established business.

Family

Dependants of the investor may apply for accompanying visas.

Important: Permanent residency or citizenship through investment is available only in limited, significant-investment cases, and reliable detail on exact thresholds is not consistently published -- confirm current requirements with BIDA before committing capital.

Sources reviewed: resource.ogrlegal.com Bangladesh foreign-investment visa guide, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA)

Citizenship by Naturalization

Bangladesh's citizenship process for long-term residents, generally pursued through marriage to a Bangladeshi national or significant, qualifying investment, since there is no clearly defined common pathway based on employment residence alone.

Processing time

Highly variable; no standard published timeline.

Typical costs

Indirect costs of maintaining qualifying residence and ties.

Government fees

Government application fees.

Work and study rights

Full citizen rights upon naturalization.

Family

Does not automatically extend to family members, who must separately qualify.

Important: This is a genuine content gap -- Bangladesh generally does not recognize dual citizenship for naturalized citizens (with narrow exceptions for a defined list of countries), and there is no clearly defined common pathway to citizenship based on employment residence alone. Reported routes are primarily marriage to a Bangladeshi national or significant…

Sources reviewed: rivermate.com Bangladesh work-permits guide

Tourist / Business (B) Visa

Short-term entry for tourism, or the Business (B) visa for meetings and negotiations only.

Processing time

Typically about a week to a couple of weeks.

Typical costs

Modest consular fees for nationalities that require a visa.

Government fees

Visa fee varies by nationality.

Work and study rights

No work or study rights; the Business (B) visa does not permit employment.

Family

Not applicable for short-stay visits.

Sources reviewed: Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA)