Moving & Living - Bangladesh - Complete Guide

01Choose the city and neighbourhood around actual destinations

Begin with the workplace or course, then mark every regular household destination. A job in Dhaka, an assignment in Chattogram and a family base in Sylhet should produce different searches. Keep the first accommodation flexible until the immigration appointments and daily journeys are clear. Within Dhaka, compare the complete road or metro journey rather than judging a flat by distance on a map.

A named example helps make the school connection concrete: AISD's current procedures identify Baridhara, Gulshan and Banani for complimentary student transport. Confirm whether the actual proposed home is served before relying on that provision. A different school or an employer may have a different arrangement.

View the building and test ordinary tasks: entering with groceries, using lifts or stairs, receiving deliveries, cooling the rooms and reaching essential shops. Ask who handles water, electricity, common-area charges and equipment faults. Request actual previous bills where available, with the billing period identified, and record which costs are included in the proposed rent. This gives you a basis for comparison without inventing a citywide monthly price.

02Match the visa application to the reason for moving

Bangladesh's Online MRV Portal provides application forms. Completing the form is one stage of an application, not a grant of permission to travel, reside or work. The portal instructs applicants to complete the form, print it, and take the printed application with supporting documents and visa-fee evidence to the relevant visa office or Bangladesh mission.

1. Identify the purpose of the stay and the mission accepting applications from your country or place of residence.
2. Use the portal's supported-country instructions and the mission's category checklist.
3. Prepare the passport, photographs and category-specific supporting records before filling the form.
4. Complete the online application and save its reference.
5. Print the form and submit it through the office's stated procedure with documents and payment evidence.
6. Read the issued visa's entry conditions and validity before booking the final travel arrangements.

Keep visitor entry separate from employment permission. A business meeting, a salaried role, an investment and a course of study involve different supporting institutions. Ask the employer, institution or sponsor to identify its part of the application rather than relying on a visitor application to cover the later activity.

03Have the employer arrange the recommendation and work-permit application

Start with the employer's legal entity and the actual work location. The official OSS available-services page explains that foreign employment is considered for appropriately registered establishments and identifies the employer's board decision, visa recommendation, qualifications, experience, employment contract and passport among the application records. Ask HR which authority has jurisdiction over the organisation and who is authorised to submit its application.

1. Obtain an appointment letter or contract describing the role, workplace, salary, benefits and intended dates.
2. Give HR the passport details and the qualification and experience records required for that role.
3. Have the employer prepare its registration, permission and board-resolution evidence.
4. Arrange the visa recommendation through the responsible authority and apply at the accepting Bangladesh mission.
5. Coordinate entry and the work-permit submission so the employer can provide the required arrival records.
6. Retain the issued decisions and read their conditions before starting the activity.

A practical mission-specific example is the published UK/Ireland supporting-document guidance: its E2 and E3 categories identify recommendations from BIDA, BEZA, BEPZA, Hi-Tech Park, PPPAB or another applicable authority. This identifies institutions to discuss with the employer; it does not make that mission's entire checklist universal for applications elsewhere. Use the mission accepting your own application for submission and payment instructions.

Do not infer a permit duration or processing deadline from a single older FAQ. Bangladesh Bank's October 2023 circular records the replacement of the 2011 BIDA guidelines with 2023 procedures. Confirm the instructions attached to the actual application and respond to requests in the portal. A lodged application, a recommendation and an issued permit have different effects.

For a proposed business, identify the company or office form and obtain its registrations and sector approvals through the official One-Stop Service portal. Establishing an entity and obtaining permission for a foreign person to work in it are separate tasks. For remote work, explain the activity and employer location to the mission and work authority before relying on visitor entry; this guide has not verified an ordinary digital-nomad residence category.

04Separate arrival costs from recurring bills and establish the tax position

Build the move budget in Bangladeshi taka for local bills and preserve the original currency of overseas charges. Use a particular home, school and insurance quotation, with the date, payment period and inclusions recorded. A monthly rent figure cannot describe the capital fee of a named school, an annual insurance premium or a shipment invoice.

The education and transport steps identify dated charges for particular services. Do not combine them into a national living-cost estimate. For a worked calculation, if a hypothetical home costs BDT40,000 rent and BDT5,000 agreed monthly service charges, the housing subtotal is BDT45,000 before utilities. Those are invented calculation inputs, not current market quotations. Replace them with the actual agreement and add costs paid annually or by school term in their own payment months.

Tax residence and immigration permission are different questions. In NBR's published English Income Tax Act 2023, section 2(45) describes individual residence as at least 183 days in the income year, or at least ninety days that year with at least 365 days in the preceding four years. Keep a travel-day record and ask payroll or the responsible tax adviser to apply the current law, amendments and any relevant treaty to your facts.

1. List each salary, pension, business or overseas income source and who pays it.
2. Determine the relevant income year and residence position.
3. Establish TIN, withholding and return duties for that income and status.
4. Obtain payslips and tax-payment evidence rather than assuming a net salary proves every obligation is complete.
5. Arrange the permitted remittance documentation with the bank before scheduling overseas transfers.

05Secure the school place before fixing the family commute

A Dhaka school choice affects the home search. The American International School Dhaka's 2026–27 procedures describe complimentary student buses for Baridhara, Gulshan and Banani, with more distant coverage at the administration's discretion. Confirm the actual pickup arrangements for the proposed address; a neighbourhood name alone does not establish the door-to-door journey.

Follow AISD's application process: first ask admissions about a place using the child's birth date, previous school and expected arrival. Submit the online form after the team's verification. Prepare English-language school records, officially certified translations where needed, three years of reports, immunisation information, passport and Bangladesh-visa pages for the child and parents, and relevant learning-support evaluations. The confidential teacher recommendation must come directly from the current school. Complete the required screening and await the admission decision. This institution's checklist is a practical example; another school's requirements can differ.

The school's admissions FAQ explains that application, sibling status or a US passport alone does not guarantee a place. Admission depends on the completed file and the school's criteria and capacity. Do not treat a paid application as an accepted placement.

Use the March 2026 fee schedule and the written invoice to plan payment dates. For a new student, the seat deposit is due within ten days of invoice or before classes, whichever is earlier. The tuition invoice credits that deposit. The school's procedures distinguish continuing and new students and restrict payment methods; obtain the Business Office's written instructions for any BDT payment. Keep transport, optional activities and other charges separate from tuition.

06Establish the residence basis before planning a retirement move

A pension is a funding source, not an immigration permission. This guide has not verified an ordinary pension-based retirement visa for Bangladesh. Identify a category that actually fits your nationality, family connections or other circumstances before committing to an indefinite stay.

For a relevant family or origin connection, the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington's NVR guidance describes eligibility for foreign citizens of Bangladeshi origin and their spouse and children, with a SAARC nationality exclusion. It requires non-US citizens applying there to show US residence evidence. The endorsement is tied to the passport's validity and allows repeated entry and stay within that validity. Follow the mission accepting your own application; this is not a universal retirement programme.

1. Identify the actual permission and the supporting origin or family records.
2. Obtain the accepting mission's document and application instructions.
3. Arrange pension payment, accessible funds and the bank's transfer procedure.
4. Choose care and insurance for the ongoing treatment you need.
5. Test the proposed home's access, daily errands and appointment journeys.

Keep passport and permission renewals in the retirement plan. If another household member will work or study, establish the conditions for that activity separately. Obtain the relevant tax advice for the pension and the country paying it; a residence endorsement does not itself resolve that income's reporting obligations.

07Prepare the household file and obtain clearance for pets and belongings

Build a separate file for each person: passport, visa, employment or admission records and the family documents supporting their own application. Ask the receiving mission or institution which certificates need authentication or certified translation. The school checklist, employer's work-permit evidence and the bank's customer records overlap, but they are not identical; retain originals alongside clearly labelled copies.

For pets, the Department of Livestock Services publishes a May 2025 Pet Animal Companion NOC manual for its e-Trade portal. It describes choosing NOC, creating a new application and selecting Pet Animal Companion and Import. The subsequent stages collect applicant, passport, origin/destination and port details, followed by the animal's microchip, breed, sex and colour.

The manual lists vaccination certificate/card, health certificate, passport and visa copies, and a colour pet image among the required uploads. It also describes an arrival notification with transport, booking and estimated-arrival information. Obtain DLS instructions for the animal's origin, applicable health-document timing and entry clearance before fixing the journey.

The manual's account and profile screens require an NID attachment. For a foreign owner without a Bangladeshi NID, ask DLS through the portal's contact service how to apply or arrange an authorised application. The manual does not resolve that access question.

1. Have the vet prepare the animal's identity and health records for DLS review.
2. Resolve the applicant-account procedure and submit the applicable NOC request.
3. Retain the issued approval and complete the required arrival notification.
4. Agree carriage, crate and handover arrangements with the airline or cargo provider.
5. Carry the animal's original records and the clearance documents at arrival.

Plants and plant products have their own controls. The Dhaka airport's plant-arrival instructions identify the Directorate of Agricultural Extension's Plant Disease Control Wing for an import permit and the origin authority's phytosanitary certificate. Declare such goods at the arrival plant-control desk. Do not treat seeds, cuttings or packing material as automatically unrestricted because they are household belongings.

For the rest of the shipment, give the carrier an itemised inventory and ask it to identify the customs category, supporting documents and destination charges for the actual goods. Separate items needed for the first appointments from a delayed shipment: passports, issued permissions, medicines and essential school records should remain accessible.

08Arrange the airport handover and preserve the entry record

If arriving through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, give the person arranging the transfer the flight number, landing date and agreed meeting place. Ask an employer or school contact to confirm the address in a form the driver can use, including the road, house and block where applicable. Keep that address offline, together with the accommodation's telephone number.

The airport's transport and parking page identifies an arrival car-rental service outside the gate area and a waiting-bus area at Arrival Departure Gate 2. Its public-bus, train and CNG sections do not currently supply complete service details. This guide therefore does not promise a particular public route, through-ticket or fixed airport taxi fare. Agree the vehicle, destination, total charge, luggage capacity and meeting instructions with the actual provider.

1. Present the issued visa and the supporting records requested at immigration.
2. Keep the passport entry endorsement available for the employer, institution and later applications.
3. Collect the baggage and complete customs declarations for the items you carry.
4. Meet the confirmed transport provider and verify the destination before leaving.
5. Notify the employer or sponsor of arrival and arrange the first registration appointments.
6. Confirm how to contact the accommodation while local phone service is being established.

Make the first stay a practical base for appointments rather than committing immediately to a long lease. Ensure you can receive correspondence and documents there. If the employer has scheduled a medical examination, work-permit submission or other appointment, place it in the calendar before filling the first week with property viewings. Each household member's status still needs its own evidence; the principal worker's arrival does not automatically finish the accompanying family's formalities.

09Complete the registrations that apply to your nationality and activity

Ask the immigration officer or the Special Branch registration office which foreigner-registration conditions apply to the passport and visa you hold. The official sources are not consistent enough to publish one universal threshold: Special Branch's registration FAQ specifies Indian nationals with visas of at least 180 days and Pakistani nationals with visas of at least 90 days. It gives fourteen days from arrival for the Indian category and seven for the Pakistani category, with passport copies and two passport photographs.

The Immigration Police's registration-rules page instead describes registration for visas exceeding ninety days, subject to exemptions and reciprocal conditions. Its FAQ also differs on the Indian visa threshold. Resolve this with the registration officer for your nationality and issued visa promptly on arrival; do not assume that a general website paragraph grants an exemption. Save the office's answer and any issued registration record.

1. Take the passport, issued visa, entry endorsement, photographs and intended address to the appropriate registration office when registration applies.
2. Use the requested Form B and provide the accurate household address.
3. Retain the completed registration evidence and any directions about changes of address or travel.
4. Coordinate the employer's work-permit and security-clearance records separately.
5. Arrange the tax identification and payroll information required for the work and banking activity.

Special Branch identifies its Dhaka office, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, District Special Branch offices and Benapole among registration locations. Ask which office will handle your address. A police registration record, a visa and a work permit are separate documents; completing one does not finish the other applications.

For tax identification, start from the NBR TIN Registration service. Its public account-registration page collects a user ID, password, security information, country, mobile number for the activation code and email. Create the account using contact details you can continue to access, then follow the applicable taxpayer-registration process. A login account is not itself an issued TIN certificate.

The public login screens do not establish the complete foreign-individual document route. Ask the employer's payroll team and the responsible NBR tax office which category and passport evidence apply to you, and obtain assistance for any identity validation the portal cannot complete. Supply the issued tax record to the bank or employer as required. Retain payroll statements, withholding evidence and tax acknowledgements in the same file; having a tax number does not prove that a return or payment obligation has been met.

10Open the account and arrange the permitted salary transfers

Ask the employer which bank handles its salary payments and book an account-opening appointment with the relevant branch. Bring the documents for a foreign customer rather than following an online process intended for a Bangladeshi NID holder. Standard Chartered Bangladesh's personal account form specifically requires a foreign national's valid passport and visa copy. It also collects income, address and tax information; the bank decides the full evidence needed for the proposed account.

1. Describe the salary currency, local bills and overseas transfers you expect to make.
2. Confirm which account the bank can open for your residence and employment status.
3. Provide the passport, visa and the requested employment, income, address and tax evidence.
4. Complete the account and customer-information forms; retain a copy of the agreed charges.
5. Activate the payment facilities that have actually been approved.
6. Test a small local payment before using the account for the household's main rent or bills.

Overseas salary transfers have their own documentation. Standard Chartered's expatriate banking service lists a family-remittance file supported by the latest work permit or BIDA approval, TIN or tax-clearance record, appointment letter, passport and visa, and the prescribed signed Bangladesh Bank form. Subsequent transfers require the bank's outward-transfer application and TM form; further income evidence may be requested. Open that file before relying on a scheduled family transfer, and obtain the bank's written instructions for the actual transaction.

Local mobile payments are a separate eligibility question. bKash's published account conditions describe accounts for Bangladeshi nationals, including its service for Bangladeshis abroad. A foreign passport with a Bangladesh visa does not by itself satisfy a nationality condition. Do not borrow another person's wallet to run the household budget. Establish the bank, card, cash or other payment methods that you personally can use, and ask a landlord how a receipt will be issued for each rent payment.

11Inspect the home and put the rent terms in writing

Compare the full housing cost, not just the quoted rent. Request a written breakdown of rent, service charges, parking, utilities, furnishing and any proposed initial payment. Describe each item separately in the agreement. A furnished flat, a serviced stay and a longer residential tenancy can have different payment and maintenance arrangements; obtain terms for the actual offer.

The official Premises Rent Control Act 1991, section 10 restricts premiums, salami, deposits or similar extra payments for letting or renewing a home. It also restricts advance rent above one month without the Controller's prior approval. Section 11 provides a particular exception for qualifying long development leases, rather than a general permission to demand a residential deposit. Do not assume that a payment described as customary is authorised for your tenancy. Have a qualified local adviser examine a proposed large advance or disputed charge against the agreement and applicable law before paying.

1. Visit the actual flat and verify who owns it or is authorised to let it.
2. Test water, lights, sockets, cooling equipment, locks and any lift used to reach the home.
3. Record the furniture and equipment included, with dated condition photographs.
4. Agree the rent, payment dates, term, permitted occupants and use of the premises.
5. Identify who pays each utility and common service charge, and who repairs each type of fault.
6. Read notice, renewal and early-departure terms in a language you understand.
7. Pay only through the agreed documented method and obtain the signed receipt.
8. Complete the key and meter handover, recording readings and existing balances.

Section 13 of the same Act requires the landlord to provide a signed receipt immediately when rent is paid. Keep those receipts with the agreement and transfer references. Make the billing period and property identifiable so a bank payment or cash handover can be matched to the correct rent obligation.

Ask the landlord to show how electricity and water are billed for this address. If a meter or account remains in the owner's name, put the payment and access arrangement in writing. Record a contact for urgent faults and confirm permission for any internet installation before ordering service. Check the practical handover date against the household's immigration appointments and school start; an available flat does not itself establish lawful residence or admission.

12Choose a care provider and establish how treatment will be paid

Plan around the treatment your household actually needs. In Dhaka, Evercare Hospital Dhaka is one named starting point in Bashundhara Residential Area; its location is part of the journey calculation when comparing homes. Select the appropriate clinician or service, then use the hospital's appointment request form to provide the patient details, contact information, speciality and preferred date. Wait for confirmation of the appointment rather than treating a submitted request as a booking.

1. Prepare a concise medical summary, current prescriptions and relevant test results.
2. Identify the provider offering the required ongoing care near the proposed home.
3. Ask the insurer whether that provider is covered and how authorisation works.
4. Arrange the first appointment and supply the records requested by the provider.
5. Establish the payment method and any advance authorisation before planned treatment.
6. Keep the registration number, appointment confirmation and claim records together.

Evercare's admission and payment guide describes a one-time registration and a Unique Hospital Identification number and card. A planned inpatient admission follows the clinician's advice and Admission Notification Form; foreign patients are asked to bring their passport. Request a billing estimate based on the treatment plan and anticipated stay. An estimate helps you arrange funds but is not a guarantee that the final bill will be identical.

For a corporate inpatient credit arrangement, the hospital specifies a letter of authorisation from the organisation. Having an employer's name on a policy is not the same as having this authorisation in place. Ask HR and the insurer to explain who obtains it, which treatments it covers and what you pay directly. Retain written answers for accompanying family members as well as the principal employee.

Choose insurance by the required care, not just the headline limit: outpatient consultations, ongoing medicines, planned procedures, emergency treatment and any treatment outside Bangladesh. Read how existing conditions, waiting periods and preauthorisation affect the household. If the policy reimburses costs later, keep an accessible payment reserve and establish which invoices and medical records the insurer needs. Confirm medicine availability with the treating clinician or dispensing provider before relying on a foreign prescription for uninterrupted treatment.

13Set up utilities, a lasting phone number and daily transport

For initial connectivity, Grameenphone's published information describes a tourist SIM available with a valid passport and visa. It lists bundles at BDT1,499 for fifteen days and BDT1,999 for thirty days, reviewed here on 13 October 2026. This is a short-stay product: the operator says tourist numbers are recycled after thirty days, earlier visa expiry can deactivate service, and migration to another SIM is unavailable. Do not make that number the household's lasting bank or utility contact without a separate plan.

Visit a Grameenphone Center or Experience Center to identify the appropriate longer-term foreign-customer connection. The same guidance lists passport/visa or passport/work-permit scans for a foreign customer's validity extension. Confirm the issued number's duration and the renewal procedure before registering services against it. Test calls, texts and data, then update the bank and other institutions when moving to the lasting number.

In Dhaka, use DMTCL's citizen charter to understand the MRT Pass before buying. The published price is BDT500, comprising a BDT200 deposit and BDT300 usable balance. It describes a ten-percent fare reduction for pass journeys. These are Dhaka metro terms reviewed on 13 October 2026, not a nationwide transport price.

1. Identify the stations serving the actual home and destination, including the walk at each end.
2. Buy the required ticket or pass through the station's authorised sales facilities.
3. Touch the pass at both entry and exit gates and retain sufficient balance for the journey.
4. Use the station's ticket machine or staffed facilities to top up as directed.
5. Test the complete outward and return journey at the times you will normally travel.

A school bus, a metro journey and a road transfer solve different trips. Keep a separate plan for late finishes, shopping and appointments outside the usual route. Before renting a home, confirm that its daily journey works with the actual operating schedule and the household's needs, including mobility or luggage requirements.

Establish the electricity supplier and account for the actual address. For a DESCO connection, use its customer services and prepaid-payment guidance to identify a payment method you can use. DESCO's postpaid-bill explanation identifies the account/reference and meter numbers, billing period, readings and due date. Match those to the home and retain the receipt. If the landlord holds the account, agree who pays and how you can verify the balance. Identify the water and internet arrangements separately; confirm installation permission, equipment and the first bill before ordering.

14Close the first-month tasks and establish a workable weekly routine

Use the first month's actual bills and journeys to revise the plan. A Dhaka home that works for a school bus may still need a separate route for the clinic or an evening return from work. Test those trips, identify the essential shops near the home and confirm a practical alternative when the regular arrangement is unavailable.

1. Review issued visas, work permissions and applicable registrations for every person.
2. Check the bank and employer have the correct contact and document records.
3. Match rent receipts and utility payments to the correct property and billing periods.
4. Confirm school placement, transport and ongoing medical appointments.
5. Replace temporary phone details in accounts once the lasting connection is established.
6. Calendar renewals and outstanding applications with the responsible contact.

Ask the school, workplace or a local organiser about current activities you can attend regularly. Confirm the venue and participation arrangements directly, then choose a realistic commitment near the home or daily route. Keep building, transport and healthcare contacts alongside the household documents, with issued decisions available for renewals.