How to Export to Bangladesh in 2026: Duty Stack, 15% VAT, IRC and L/C Rules

Duty and taxes: how the import cost is built

Bangladesh Customs values imports under the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement. The basis is the transaction value: the price actually paid or payable for the goods when sold for export to Bangladesh, with certain adjustments. If that value cannot be used, customs moves to the value of identical goods, then similar goods, then the deductive and computed methods. The US International Trade Administration (ITA, Country Commercial Guide published 19 March 2026) gives an average Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff of 14.0% and a maximum MFN applied rate of 25%. Rates from 5% to 25% apply to general inputs, basic raw materials and intermediate and finished goods, while generators, IT equipment, raw cotton, textile machinery, poultry feed and certain drugs and medical equipment are generally exempt.

Other charges are added on top. A regulatory duty (RD) applies under SRO 201-Act/2024/53/Customs of 29 May 2024, in force from 6 June 2024: 3% on goods whose statutory customs duty is 25%, and set rates of up to 30% on listed goods such as fruit, cut flowers, some cosmetics and raw sugar. The ITA lists supplementary duty (SD) of 0% to 500% on luxury items such as cigarettes, alcohol and perfume, VAT of 0% to 15% with exemptions for input materials, and AIT of 5%. An advance tax (AT) is also collected at import, and its rate depends on the goods and the type of importer.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) shows every charge for each 8-digit Harmonized System (HS) code on its Import Export Hub, with a total tax incidence (TTI). For example, on the page last updated on 9 February 2025, refined coconut oil (HS 1513.19.00) showed customs duty 25%, RD 3%, SD 30%, VAT 15%, AIT 5%, AT 5% and a TTI of 104.68% of the assessable value. That total results when customs duty, RD and AIT are charged on the assessable value, SD on the value plus customs duty and RD, and VAT and AT on the value plus customs duty, RD and SD. Rates can change with each budget, so get the current rates for your HS code from the importer's C&F agent before you quote a delivered price.

Clearance: the Bill of Entry in ASYCUDA World

The shipping agent submits the Import General Manifest (IGM) electronically. The importer's nominated C&F agent, or the importer, then completes the goods declaration, known as the Bill of Entry, in the Single Administrative Document format and submits it through ASYCUDA World, the customs computer system. Customs assesses the duties and taxes, the importer or agent pays them, and customs issues a release order.

The ITA lists a letter of credit authorization (LCA) form among the required import documents. NBR lists these general documents for import clearance:

• Import Registration Certificate (IRC) and VAT registration (BIN) certificate of the importer.
• Letter of credit, or a sales or purchase order when no L/C is used, plus any import permit the goods need.
• Proforma invoice and insurance cover note, which the importer needs to open the L/C at the bank.
• Commercial invoice, packing list and detailed packing list.
• Bill of lading, air waybill or other transport document, and the certificate of origin.
• Value declaration form, ISPM 15 certificate for wooden packaging and a dangerous goods certificate where relevant.

Importer registration and Bangladesh Bank payment rules

Commercial importers and industrial users must register with the Office of the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports (CCI&E), which issues the IRC. The ITA says an IRC is generally issued within three working days of the application, and for industrial users it sets an annual import entitlement for each product. NBR points importers to the online system at olm.ccie.gov.bd. Before you accept an order, check that the buyer has a valid IRC.

Bangladesh Bank's consolidated rules on import transactions (FEPD-1 Circular No. 30, 13 August 2026, valid for one year) shape your documents. Import L/Cs must be documentary and paid against a full set of transport documents showing dispatch to a destination in Bangladesh, and they must call for signed invoices and certificates of origin. Banks open an L/C only against a firm order that has been placed and accepted, with a full description of the goods and the unit price, and they follow the UCP (Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits). The L/C, contract or proforma invoice must quote the correct HS code, and the proforma invoice must show it at 8 digits. Banks need a credit report on the foreign supplier when the L/C or contract exceeds US$30,000.

Without an L/C, imports under a sales contract within the limits of the Import Policy Order in force are generally made on documents against payment (D/P) terms, with usance of up to 60 days allowed under general permission, and banks follow the Uniform Rules for Collections (URC). Advance payments above US$20,000 generally need a repayment guarantee from a bank abroad. On 13 September 2026 Bangladesh Bank issued FEPD-1 Circular Letter No. 17 on the Import Policy Order 2026-2029, so ask the importer's bank which payment routes and limits apply to your order.

BSTI, food certificates, labelling and inspection

NBR's Import Export Hub lists product-specific documents for each HS code. For sauces (HS 2103.90.10), for example, it lists a radioactivity test certificate from the competent authority of the origin country before import, and a clearance certificate from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) after import; the sauce must meet BDS 512:2017 and each package must carry the BSTI certification mark. The same entry requires production and expiry dates to be embossed on each container or package rather than on a separate label, and any preservatives, additives and colours to be stated. These entries cite the Import Policy Order 2021-2024 and were last updated on 9 February 2025, so check the rules under the 2026-2029 order with the importer.

The ITA's labelling guidance says the country of origin must appear in large, permanent letters on the label or container (English is preferred), all food products must show expiry dates, milk must be imported in tins, dehydrated baby food must include a measuring spoon, and packaging must not carry obscene images or wording that could offend religious beliefs. Outer containers should show the consignee's name, and containers weighing more than one ton need the gross weight on the top and two sides.

Bangladesh Customs' clearance page, which still cites the Import Policy Order 2015-2018, lists pre-shipment inspection test reports for a few goods, such as milk food products and powder milk, coal and hard coke. The sources checked show no general pre-shipment inspection requirement, so ask the importer whether your product needs one.

Trade agreements that can lower duty

NBR lists the preferential arrangements Bangladesh applies. Each works through a statutory regulatory order (SRO) with its own table of HS codes and conditions:

• SAFTA (Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka): customs duty of 0%, 3% or 5% on the HS codes in the SRO tables effective from 1 January 2016 and 1 July 2022.
• APTA (China, India, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Sri Lanka): margins of preference of 10% to 70% on customs duty for listed HS codes (SRO 267-Law/2018/40/Customs, 10 September 2018).
• TPS-OIC (Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Syria, Tunisia, Türkiye, UAE): customs duty of 1%, 5%, 10% or 15% on listed HS codes.
• D-8 PTA (Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Türkiye): 10% customs duty instead of the 15% base rate on listed HS codes.
• Bhutan: customs duty, VAT, supplementary duty and regulatory duty of 0% on goods covered by its SRO.