Business Licenses in Bangladesh 2026: The Master Map of Registrations, Permits and Sector Licences

Business licenses in Bangladesh: the 2026 master map

Business licenses in Bangladesh are not a single permit but a stack of registrations, local permissions, site approvals and sector consents, each issued by a different authority on a different cycle. A trading company in Dhaka may need four of them; a pharmaceutical plant, a payment app or a recruiting agency may need a dozen. The legal risk is rarely that a business has no licence at all. It is that one layer is missing, has lapsed, or was obtained in the wrong order, and that gap surfaces at the worst moment: at customs, at a bank, during a fire inspection or in a buyer's audit.

This guide is the master map. It sets out every licence and registration a business is likely to meet in 2026, who issues it, how long it lasts and how it is renewed, and how the new Invest Bangladesh one-stop framework under Act No. 104 of 2026 changes the route. It then works through the sector regulators, the minimum stack for startups and the sequencing that avoids rework. Where TRW has already published a detailed guide on a particular licence, we link to it rather than repeat it, so this page works as the index for the whole subject.

Summary: Every business in Bangladesh needs a foundation layer of an entity registration, a trade licence from the local authority, an e-TIN and, in most cases, a VAT Business Identification Number. Depending on what it does and where, it then adds import or export registration, a fire licence, a factory licence, environmental clearance and product certification, and in regulated sectors a licence from BTRC, Bangladesh Bank, BSEC, IDRA, DGDA, BERC or a sector ministry. Since 20 August 2026 the Invest Bangladesh Act 2026 has brought investment services onto a single digital platform, but it has not abolished the underlying licences.

Key point: The Invest Bangladesh Act 2026 (Act No. 104 of 2026) changes how many licences are applied for, not whether they are needed. BanglaBiz now routes more than twenty common approvals, including environmental clearance, VAT registration, factory and fire licences and import and export registration, but each authority still decides its own licence on its own criteria.

At a glance

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Table of Contents

How business licenses in Bangladesh are layered

The simplest way to understand business licenses in Bangladesh is to treat them as three layers. The first layer is the legal existence of the business and its tax identity. The second is permission to operate a particular activity at a particular place. The third is sector authorisation, which applies only where the activity itself is regulated. Each layer has its own authority, and approval in one layer never satisfies another. A trade licence does not authorise imports; an environmental clearance does not replace a fire licence; a BTRC licence does not make a company exempt from VAT registration.

The layers also depend on one another. Most second-layer applications ask for first-layer documents, and many third-layer regulators will not consider an application until the applicant can show a trade licence, a TIN and a bank account. That dependency is what makes sequencing matter: an application filed out of order is not refused for lack of merit but returned for lack of a document, and every return costs weeks.

Layer one: existence and tax identity

Every business needs a legal form. For most investors that is a private limited company or a one person company registered with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms; sole proprietors and partnerships operate under the trade licence and, for partnerships, optional registration of the firm. The tax identity follows: an e-TIN for income tax and a Business Identification Number for VAT. Our guides to company registration in Bangladesh and one person companies cover formation in detail.

Layer two: activity and premises

The second layer attaches to what the business does and where it does it. The trade licence from the local authority is the universal document here. Beyond it, importing or exporting in the company's own name requires registration with the Office of the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports; using premises for flammable materials or occupying a multi-storey or commercial building brings in the fire service; running a factory or establishment brings in the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE); industrial activity brings in the Department of Environment; and listed products need a Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) mark.

Layer three: sector authorisation

The third layer applies only to regulated activities, but there the sector licence is the business. A bank, payment service provider, insurer, stockbroker, telecoms operator, drug manufacturer, power producer, hotel, travel agency or recruiting agency that trades without its sector licence is not merely non-compliant: it is carrying on a prohibited activity, with criminal exposure for the company and often its directors, and contracts that may be unenforceable.

The 2026 master table of licences and approvals

The table below is the quick reference. It lists the licences and registrations most businesses meet, the issuing authority, who needs it and the validity or renewal position as at October 2026. Validity periods change by rule and notification, so confirm the current position before relying on any line, and use the linked TRW guides for fees, documents and procedure.

Two points explain most of the variation in the table. First, local permissions such as the trade licence run on the fiscal year, so renewal falls due every July regardless of when the licence was first issued.[5] Second, technical and safety approvals are graded by risk. The Department of Environment, for example, issues clearance certificates valid for five years for Green category units, two years for Yellow and one year for Orange and Red, which means most heavy industry renews annually.[8]

Foundation registrations every business needs

The foundation layer is where most business licenses in Bangladesh start and where most later problems begin. Errors made here, such as a trade licence issued in a slightly different name from the company, a business activity description that does not match the real business, or a BIN registered at the wrong address, carry through into every later application and are expensive to unwind.

Entity registration with the RJSC

A company comes into existence on incorporation by the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms. Incorporation is not renewed, but it brings continuing obligations: annual returns, filing of changes in directors, shareholding and registered office, and registration of charges. Name clearance, incorporation, e-TIN and trade licence can now be applied for together through the Business Starter Package on BanglaBiz, which Invest Bangladesh describes as enabling registration within three working days.[3] Our guide to private limited company registration covers documents and the memorandum.

Trade licence

The trade licence is the local authority's permission to carry on a trade, business or profession within its area, issued by the city corporation, pourashava or union parishad where the premises are located. It is needed for each place of business, it must describe the activity accurately, and it is renewed every fiscal year: Dhaka South City Corporation, for instance, ran renewal camps in August 2026 for the 2026-27 fiscal year and said it planned a single application for five-year renewal.[5] The fee schedules, signboard tax and VAT are set out in our guide to the trade licence fee in Bangladesh, and the legal basis in our trade licence guide.

e-TIN and BIN

The e-TIN is the income tax registration of the business and is required for a trade licence renewal, a bank account, an IRC or ERC and most sector licences. The Business Identification Number is the VAT registration or turnover tax enlistment issued by the National Board of Revenue, and it is also the key used to register on the Bangladesh Single Window for customs. Neither expires, but both carry return obligations from the first month. These are covered in our guides to company tax registration and VAT registration for companies.

Bank account and foreign capital

A bank account is not a licence, but it is a gate. Sector regulators expect paid-up capital to be shown in a Bangladeshi bank, and a foreign-owned company must bring its capital in through an authorised dealer bank so that the inward remittance is documented for later repatriation. The Business Starter Package includes temporary bank account opening for that reason.[3] Our guide on how to invest in Bangladesh explains the foreign exchange side.

Invest Bangladesh and the one-stop service under Act No. 104 of 2026

The largest structural change to business licenses in Bangladesh in 2026 is institutional. The Invest Bangladesh Act 2026 (Act No. 104 of 2026) is dated 16 July 2026 and was brought into force from 20 August 2026 by S.R.O. No. 307-Act/2026.[1] Invest Bangladesh, which merges the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority and the Public-Private Partnership Authority, began operating on 23 August 2026 under the Prime Minister's Office.[2] The statute as a whole is analysed in our note on the Invest Bangladesh Act 2026 industrial area framework.

What the Act says about services

The Act devotes Chapter 7 (sections 28 and 29) to the registration and cancellation of private-sector industrial projects and Chapter 10 (section 50) to a single digital platform.[1] Section 6(2) directs the Authority to arrange for services to be provided through that platform, listing among them industrial zone clearances and certificates, certificates of origin, permits for repatriation of capital and dividends, resident and non-resident visas, work permits, import and export permits and construction permits.[1] Section 24 requires a registered firm outside an industrial zone that needs an import entitlement for machinery, raw materials or packaging to apply to the Authority under its guidelines.[1]

BanglaBiz as the single digital platform

In practice the platform is BanglaBiz. When BIDA and JICA launched BanglaBiz 2.0 on 1 February 2026, it added a Business Starter Package of five approvals in one application (name clearance, temporary bank account, incorporation, e-TIN and trade licence) and integrated more than twenty frequently used approvals, including environmental clearances, VAT registrations, factory and fire-safety licences and import and export registration certificates.[3] It also introduced a Know Your Approvals tool that identifies the sector-specific approvals a project needs, which is a useful cross-check against the map in this guide.[3]

Invest Bangladesh has said that BanglaBiz will continue to offer online, time-bound access to licences and permits and that it is working to implement a 14-day business licensing framework.[2] In October 2026 the government's reform plan went further, targeting company registration within 48 hours, investment-related services within seven days through a digital single window, and the gradual migration of city corporation and municipal trade licence services, including renewals and fee payment, into the investment service system.[4]

What the one-stop route does not change

A single window changes the front door, not the decision-maker. The fire service, DIFE, the Department of Environment, BSTI and the sector regulators still apply their own statutes, inspect on their own criteria and refuse on their own grounds. A file submitted through BanglaBiz that lacks a structural design, an effluent treatment plan or a fire safety plan will still fail. Treat the platform as a filing and tracking channel, and keep the substantive file built to each regulator's standard.

Export processing zones are a separate route. BEPZA was not among the bodies merged into Invest Bangladesh,[2] and enterprises inside BEPZA zones continue to obtain many permissions through BEPZA's own one-stop service. Former economic zone units now deal with Invest Bangladesh. Our guide to investment approvals through Invest Bangladesh and BEPZA compares the two.

Trade, safety and site permissions

Once the foundation is in place, the second layer depends on the activity. A consultancy in a rented office may need nothing more. A manufacturer will need almost everything in this section, and the order in which it obtains them matters as much as the permissions themselves.

Import and export registration (IRC and ERC)

Any business that imports or exports goods in its own name must hold an Import Registration Certificate or Export Registration Certificate from the Office of the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports (CCI&E), and banks will not open letters of credit or process export proceeds without it. Industrial importers usually hold an industrial IRC, commercial traders a commercial IRC, and indenting agents a separate indent registration. Certificates must be kept renewed. Our guide to import and export licensing in Bangladesh covers categories, slabs, renewal and the Import Policy Order, and our note on buying house registration explains when a buying agent needs an ERC.

Fire licence and fire safety clearance

The Fire Service and Civil Defence issues licences for premises used to store or process flammable materials and clearances for the fire safety plans of multi-storey and commercial buildings. Since 1 May 2026 new fire licences, renewals and re-evaluations have been processed through the online e-fire licence system, and manual applications have been discontinued.[7] Licence classes, renewal, inspection and the mandatory minimum sentences are set out in our fire licence guide.

Factory and establishment licence (DIFE)

DIFE approves factory layout plans before construction or expansion and licenses factories, shops and establishments to operate under the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006. Renewal used to be annual under the Labour Rules 2015; in November 2025 the government approved moving factory, shop and establishment licences to five-year renewal, with contractor organisations kept on one-year licences.[6] How that reform was carried into the Labour Act in 2026, and how field offices are applying it while fees are settled, is explained in our factory licence guide.

Environmental clearance (DoE)

Industrial units and projects need an Environmental Clearance Certificate from the Department of Environment. Under the Environment Conservation Rules 2023 projects are classified Green, Yellow, Orange or Red; Yellow, Orange and Red projects need location clearance first, Orange projects an initial environmental examination and Red projects a full environmental impact assessment.[8] Renewal should be applied for at least 30 days before expiry.[8] The assessment process is covered in our guide to environmental impact assessment and operating obligations in our guide to environmental compliance.

BSTI certification marks

Products on BSTI's mandatory list, which covers many foods, beverages, cosmetics, construction materials and electrical goods, cannot be manufactured for sale or imported without a BSTI certification marks licence or import clearance. The licence attaches to the product and the factory, not to the company, so a new product line needs its own approval. Our guide to BSTI certification explains the testing, licensing and import rules.

Building and land permissions

Premises bring their own approvals. New construction needs building plan approval from the development authority or local government for the area, and a change of land use may need separate permission. For factories, the building approval, the DIFE layout plan and the fire safety plan must describe the same building; inconsistencies between them are one of the most common reasons later licence applications stall.

Sector-specific permits and regulators

For regulated activities, the sector licence is the heart of the project and usually the longest lead item among all business licenses in Bangladesh. The regulators below are the ones investors meet most often. Each sets its own capital, ownership, fit-and-proper and governance standards, and most require prior approval for changes in shareholding or directors after the licence is issued.

Telecoms and internet: BTRC

Mobile operators, internet service providers, international gateway and connectivity operators, tower companies and many other telecoms and radio activities need a licence from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. The licensing regime is being restructured. In May 2026 BTRC sent a revised draft Telecommunications Network and Licensing Reform Policy 2025 to the Posts and Telecommunications Division for approval; it would split ISP licences into nationwide and district tiers, rename the nationwide connectivity licence as a Tower and Connectivity Service Provider licence, extend TCSP and content licences from 15 to 20 years and allow foreign ownership of up to 80 per cent in several categories.[9] Until the policy is approved, existing licence terms apply.

Banking, payments and finance: Bangladesh Bank

Bangladesh Bank licenses banks, finance companies and, under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2024, payment service providers and payment system operators. In August 2026, for example, it issued a payment service provider licence to a telecoms operator's subsidiary under section 5(4) of that Act, subject to conditions in a notification issued the same day.[10] Fintech founders should assume that holding customer funds, issuing e-wallets or processing payments needs a Bangladesh Bank licence. Our guides to banking law and the NBFI and finance company licence cover the regimes in detail.

Capital markets: BSEC

Stockbrokers, dealers, merchant banks, asset managers, custodians, credit rating agencies and alternative investment fund managers must be registered with the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission before they deal with investors, and listed companies carry continuing disclosure and governance duties. Our guide to BSEC compliance sets out the registration categories and the continuing obligations.

Insurance: IDRA

No person may carry on insurance business without a registration certificate from the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority under section 8(1) of the Insurance Act 2010.[11] Unlike most licences in this guide, an insurer's registration must be renewed every year under section 11, with the application due before 30 November of the preceding year, and a new insurer must hold the minimum paid-up capital set in the Act's first schedule.[11] Insurance agents and surveyors are separately registered or licensed under the same Act.[11]

Pharmaceuticals, medical devices and cosmetics: DGDA

The Directorate General of Drug Administration licenses the manufacture, import, storage, distribution and sale of medicines and registers individual products before they are marketed. A drug licence is premises-specific, so a pharmacy chain needs one per outlet and a manufacturer needs both a manufacturing licence and product registrations.

Power and energy: BERC

Generation, transmission, distribution, supply and storage of electricity, gas and petroleum products require a licence from the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission unless an exemption applies, and BERC consent matters again whenever a licensed undertaking is financed or transferred. Our guide to energy law in Bangladesh covers BERC licensing, tariffs and the 2026 amendments.

Tourism: hotels and restaurants

No one may operate a hotel or restaurant without both a registration certificate and a licence under section 7 of the Bangladesh Hotels and Restaurants Act 2014. The district commissioner acts as registrar and controller, the licence is valid for three years and is renewable, and an owner who applies for renewal in time may keep operating until the decision is made.[12] Tourism businesses in protected or coastal areas may also need consents from the relevant development authority. Our guide to restaurant business registration walks through the process.

Travel agencies

Travel agencies must hold a registration certificate from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism under the Bangladesh Travel Agency (Registration and Control) Act 2013, as amended in 2021, and its 2022 regulations. In March 2026 the ministry gave unregistered and lapsed agencies 15 working days to apply or renew through the online portal, warning that operating without a valid certificate is a punishable offence that can lead to closure.[13] A travel agency licence does not authorise recruitment for overseas jobs.

Recruiting agencies

Recruitment of workers for overseas employment requires a recruiting agent licence from the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment under the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013. The ministry uses its cancellation powers: in July 2026 it revoked the licences of 49 recruiting agencies over alleged syndication and irregularities in sending workers to Malaysia, relying on section 13 of the Act and its 2023 amendment.[14] Licence applicants should expect detailed scrutiny of ownership, solvency and past conduct.

Other regulated activities

Several other activities have their own gatekeepers. Foreign-funded NGOs register with the NGO Affairs Bureau and microfinance institutions with the Microcredit Regulatory Authority; see our guide to NGO registration. Online sellers face e-commerce and consumer protection rules covered in our e-commerce law guide. Garment buying houses register with the Department of Textiles. Security services, private hospitals and clinics, educational institutions, explosives and chemicals, liquor and narcotics-controlled substances, shipping and freight forwarding, and real estate development each carry separate licences from the responsible ministry or directorate.

Business licenses in Bangladesh for startups

Founders often over-license early and under-license later. The minimum legal stack for a startup that sells services from an office is short: a company or one person company, a trade licence for the registered office, an e-TIN, a BIN or turnover tax enlistment, and a bank account. Through the BanglaBiz Business Starter Package the first four can be applied for in one application.[3] Intellectual property registration is not a licence, but trademark and copyright filings belong in the same first month; see our guides to trademark registration and copyright registration.

Where startups need more than the basic stack

The basic stack is not enough once the product touches a regulated activity. Holding customer money, offering wallets, lending, insuring, selling medicines or health products online, operating internet or telecoms infrastructure, recruiting workers abroad or selling travel all bring in a sector licence, and a regulator will not treat "we are only a platform" as a defence if the platform performs the regulated function. The right question at the design stage is which function the product performs, not what the business calls itself.

Provisional approval and the 2026 reform plan

The October 2026 reform plan proposes that small and new businesses be allowed to start on provisional approval and complete their licensing and compliance within six to twelve months.[4] That would be a significant change for early-stage companies, but it is a policy proposal, not law. Until a notification implements it, a startup should assume that each licence must be in place before the activity it covers begins. Our guide to startup law in Bangladesh covers structure, funding and ESOPs.

Additional approvals for foreign-owned businesses

Foreign ownership adds a fourth set of approvals to business licenses in Bangladesh. Industrial projects register with Invest Bangladesh, or with BEPZA inside an export processing zone, and that registration supports later entitlements such as import permits, work permits and repatriation.[1] A foreign company that does not want a subsidiary needs permission for a branch, liaison or representative office, and every foreign national who works in the business needs a work permit and the correct visa. These are covered in our guides to foreign company registration and employment law for expatriates.

Sector regulators also apply their own foreign ownership limits and approval conditions on top of the general investment regime. The proposed BTRC policy, for example, would cap foreign ownership in several licence categories at 80 per cent.[9] Shareholder agreements and investment documents should be drafted so that a transfer of shares cannot complete until every licence-holding regulator has approved it.

The order that avoids rework

Getting business licenses in Bangladesh in the right sequence is the single most effective way to save time. The steps below reflect how authorities actually check prerequisites, and they apply whether the application is filed through BanglaBiz or directly.

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Two sequencing rules deserve emphasis. First, site approvals come before construction, not after: DIFE layout approval, location clearance from the Department of Environment and fire safety plan clearance are all designed to be obtained before the building is built or converted, and retrofitting a design to satisfy them is far more expensive than designing to them. Second, the sector licence comes before the activity, and usually before the commercial launch date is announced. A regulator that learns of a launch from the press is a regulator that starts with a show-cause notice.

Renewing business licenses in Bangladesh without lapses

Most enforcement against established businesses is not about missing licences but lapsed ones. Because validity periods differ, a manufacturer can easily hold a trade licence renewed in July, a fire licence on its own cycle, an environmental clearance on an annual cycle tied to its issue date, a DIFE licence moving to a five-year term and an IRC with its own renewal date. Each lapse is a separate breach, and banks, customs, buyers and auditors increasingly check validity electronically.

Build one renewal calendar

The practical answer is a single licence register that records, for every licence and site, the issuing authority, licence number, issue and expiry dates, renewal lead time and the documents each renewal needs. Environmental clearance renewals should be filed at least 30 days before expiry,[8] insurers must apply before 30 November of the preceding year,[11] and hotel and restaurant licences can be renewed late only on payment of a late fee.[12] Renewal documents usually include the current trade licence and tax documents, so the foundation-layer renewals must be done first.

Changes that trigger fresh approval

Renewal is not the only trigger. A change of address, business activity, ownership, directors, capacity, product line or building can require an amended licence or prior approval. Moving a factory, adding a production line or a new chemical store, opening a second outlet, or taking in a foreign investor should all prompt a review of the licence register before the change happens, not after.

Mistakes to avoid

The errors we see most often are predictable. Businesses describe their activity too narrowly on the trade licence and then trade outside it; treat a BanglaBiz submission as approval when it is only a filing; let a fire or environmental certificate lapse during a renewal dispute; open a second site under the first site's licences; assume a zone location removes national requirements; and launch a fintech, health or travel product before the sector licence is issued. Each of these is avoidable with a register, a sequencing plan and an early conversation with the regulator.

What to watch for the rest of 2026 and 2027

Three developments will shape business licenses in Bangladesh over the coming year. First, the rules, guidelines and service-level timelines Invest Bangladesh issues under the 2026 Act, and whether the 14-day licensing framework and the seven-day single window target become binding commitments on other agencies rather than aspirations.[2] [4] Second, the migration of trade licence services from city corporations and municipalities into the investment service system, which would end one of the last purely paper-based local permissions.[4]

Third, sector-level reform: approval of BTRC's licensing reform policy, the procedure and fees for five-year DIFE licences, revised fire prevention rules, and continued enforcement against unlicensed travel and recruiting agencies.[6] [9] [13] [14] Businesses that keep a live licence register and check it against each new notification will absorb these changes; those that rely on last year's checklist will not.

Frequently asked questions

What licences does every business in Bangladesh need?

Almost every business needs a legal form (a company, firm or proprietorship), a trade licence from the local authority for each place of business, an e-TIN, a BIN or turnover tax enlistment for VAT, and a bank account. Further licences depend on the activity, the premises and the sector.

How long is a trade licence valid?

It runs for the fiscal year and is renewed annually. Dhaka South City Corporation has said it plans to allow five-year renewal through a single application.[5]

What is the Invest Bangladesh one-stop service?

The Invest Bangladesh Act 2026 (Act No. 104 of 2026), in force from 20 August 2026, provides for investment and business services to be delivered through a single digital platform. In practice that platform is BanglaBiz.[1] [2]

Can I get all my licences through BanglaBiz?

Many, but not all. BanglaBiz integrates more than twenty common approvals, including environmental clearance, VAT registration, factory and fire licences and IRC and ERC, but sector licences and some local permissions still go directly to the regulator.[3]

Which licences does a startup need first?

Name clearance, incorporation, e-TIN, trade licence and a bank account, which can be filed together as the BanglaBiz Business Starter Package, followed by BIN registration. Sector licences are needed only if the product performs a regulated function.[3]

How often must environmental clearance be renewed?

Green category certificates last five years, Yellow two years, and Orange and Red one year. Apply for renewal at least 30 days before expiry.[8]

Is the fire licence application now online?

Yes. Since 1 May 2026 new fire licences, renewals and re-evaluations have been handled through the e-fire licence system, and manual applications have been discontinued.[7]

Who licenses payment apps and e-wallets?

Bangladesh Bank, under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2024. It issued a payment service provider licence under section 5(4) of that Act in August 2026.[10]

Does a travel agency licence allow overseas recruitment?

No. Travel agencies register with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, while recruiting agents need a separate licence from the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment under the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013.[13] [14]

How long is a hotel or restaurant licence valid?

Three years, renewable, under section 12 of the Bangladesh Hotels and Restaurants Act 2014. A registration certificate is also required, and the district commissioner acts as registrar and controller.[12]