Manpower License in Bangladesh 2026: Recruiting Agency Licence, Fees, Deposit and Renewal

Manpower license Bangladesh: the 2026 framework for recruiting agencies

A manpower license Bangladesh businesses need for overseas recruitment is, formally, a recruiting agent licence under the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013. It is the only lawful basis on which a business may recruit Bangladeshi workers for jobs abroad. In 2026 the regime is stricter, more expensive and more actively enforced than at any point since the Act came into force. New licensing rules took effect in July 2025, the security deposit was reset in January 2026, the grading system for agencies was rewritten in October 2025, and in July 2026 the government revoked 49 licences in a single order.

This guide sets out what the licence authorises, who may hold one, the fees and the security deposit, how an application moves through the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training and the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, and what keeps a licence alive: renewal quotas, branch office approvals, sub-agent registration, classification, demand letter attestation and the government-fixed migration cost. It closes with suspension and cancellation risk, the role of BAIRA, and a short note on local staffing, security guard and outsourcing businesses, which sit under a different and far thinner framework.

Summary: Overseas recruitment from Bangladesh requires a recruiting agent licence issued by the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment on the recommendation of a committee, after scrutiny by the Director General of BMET. The 2025 Rules fix a Tk 5,000 application fee, a Tk 3 lakh licence fee and, since January 2026, a Tk 35 lakh security deposit. A licence runs for three years and cannot be renewed unless the agency has sent at least 100 workers, including 20 against attested demand letters, in that term.

Key point: The 2019 Rules that most online guides still describe no longer govern new applications. The current instrument is the Overseas Employment and Migrants (Recruiting Agent Licence and Sub-Agent Registration and Conduct) Rules 2025, issued as SRO 316 in July 2025 and amended by SRO 02-Law/2026, which cut the security deposit from Tk 50 lakh to Tk 35 lakh and introduced the "associate recruiter".

At a glance

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Table of Contents

What the manpower license Bangladesh regulators grant authorises

The licence is a permission to carry on recruitment for overseas employment. Section 9 of the 2013 Act makes the licence the gateway to the business, and section 10 sets out who is eligible to hold one.[5] The World Bank's institutional review of the migration system summarised the effect plainly: only a licence-holder can recruit for the overseas market, the government must investigate an applicant's past conduct before granting one, and a licence fee is payable on issue.[6]

The licence is personal to the holder. The form of licence prescribed by the 2025 Rules states on its face that it is not transferable and is valid for three years from issue or renewal.[1] Each licence carries a recruiting licence number, commonly written as "RL", which must appear on the agency's office signboard and which the ministry uses when it suspends or cancels a licence.[1] [9]

What it does not cover

The manpower license Bangladesh regulators issue concerns overseas recruitment only. It does not authorise an agency to supply staff to local employers, run security guard services or operate as a labour outsourcing contractor at home. Those businesses work under trade licences, labour law and, for security firms, police and Home Ministry registration, discussed at the end of this guide. Equally, the licence is not a substitute for the general business approvals every company needs; see our guides to business licences in Bangladesh and the trade licence.

The instruments that now apply

Five instruments define the 2026 position. The first is the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013, whose sections 9 to 18 deal with licensing, branch offices, sub-agents, duties, classification and forfeiture of security.[5] The second is Act No. 42 of 2026, which received assent on 10 April 2026, inserted a residual offence as section 35A and repealed the interim government's amending Ordinance No. 13 of 2024.[4]

The third is the Recruiting Agent Licence and Sub-Agent Registration and Conduct Rules 2025, issued as SRO 316-Law/2025 on 8 July 2025 and published on 14 July 2025. They repealed an earlier set of 2025 rules issued in January 2025 as SRO 23-Law/2025.[1] The fourth is SRO 02-Law/2026 of 4 January 2026, which amended those Rules.[2] The fifth is the Recruiting Agent Classification Rules 2020, whose grading schedules were replaced by SRO 403-Law/2025 on 7 October 2025.[3]

Who regulates the licence

Applications are addressed to the senior secretary or secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, but are filed through the Director General of BMET, the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training.[1] A recommendation committee chaired by an additional or joint secretary of the ministry's monitoring and enforcement wing, with members from BMET, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs, vets each file and interviews the applicant.[1] Bangladesh missions abroad attest demand letters, and the ministry itself decides suspension and cancellation.

Who is eligible for a manpower license Bangladesh regulators will grant

Rule 3 of the 2025 Rules provides that any person interested in carrying on recruitment is eligible for a licence, subject to section 10 of the Act.[1] Section 10 sets the eligibility criteria. According to the World Bank's analysis, it allows an organisation to obtain a licence only where at least 60 per cent of its shares or capital is held by Bangladeshi nationals, and it requires government approval before any change in a licensed company's ownership.[6]

Applicants may be sole proprietors, partnership firms or companies. The application form asks for the type of entity and, for firms and companies, details of every managing partner, chairman, managing director and director.[1] Where any shareholder is a non-resident Bangladeshi or a foreign national, the applicant must file a certificate or no-objection letter from the Bangladesh mission in that country.[1] For incorporation itself, see our guide to company registration in Bangladesh.

One licence per person, and the family rule

Rule 8 prohibits any person or recruiting agent from holding more than one licence, or a share in more than one licence, at the same time.[1] Family members of an existing agency's owners may still apply, but only if they are not financially dependent on that agency, their office is in a separate holding from the family agency, they have their own source of income and their own trade licence, and their staff do not work for the relative's agency.[1] The rules define "family" broadly, to include spouse, parents, dependent children and full and half siblings.[1]

The document set

Form-1 lists what must accompany the application. It includes particulars, national identity numbers and attested photographs of each partner or director; the latest audited financial statements and two years' corporate tax return receipts where applicable; two years' personal tax returns and tax certificates of the owners; a list of employees; the office floor and layout plan with a list of furniture and equipment; an attested trade licence; two years' bank statements as proof of solvency; a police clearance certificate issued within the previous three months; constitutional and incorporation documents for firms and companies; and a pay order for the application fee.[1]

Each owner must also sign an undertaking on Tk 300 non-judicial stamp paper in the prescribed Form-4.[1] In practice, the undertaking, the solvency evidence and the police clearance are the documents most often returned for correction, and the police clearance in particular must be fresh when the file is lodged.

Office requirements

The 2025 Rules do not prescribe a minimum floor area, but they treat the office as a substantive test. The layout plan and equipment list are part of the application, rule 11 requires a regular office or approved branch with a signboard showing the agency's name, address and licence number, and the office must display the government-fixed migration cost and monthly wage for each destination country.[1] On renewal, the agency must produce its tenancy agreement and rent receipts where the premises are rented.[1] Office management is also scored in the grading system.[3]

Manpower license Bangladesh fees and the security deposit

Schedule 1 to the 2025 Rules sets every government charge, each payable by pay order and stated exclusive of applicable VAT and tax.[1] The application fee is Tk 5,000. Once the application is approved, the applicant pays the licence fee of Tk 3 lakh and lodges the security deposit within the period the government fixes, and BMET issues the licence within 21 working days of the receipt being deposited.[1]

The security deposit was set at Tk 50 lakh when the Rules were issued in July 2025. SRO 02-Law/2026 replaced that figure with Tk 35 lakh with effect from its publication on 5 January 2026.[2] The deposit is security for the agency's obligations to migrants and to the government. Section 18 of the Act provides for its forfeiture, and the ministry has confiscated deposits when cancelling licences for fraud, as it did against three agencies accused of sending young men to Russia in June 2026.[5] [9]

The renewal application fee is Tk 4,000 and the renewal fee Tk 1 lakh. A late renewal attracts a penalty of Tk 2,000 for each day of delay, capped at Tk 1 lakh in any one licence term. A duplicate licence costs Tk 5,000.[1] On surrender of the licence, or on the death of a proprietor, the agency or its heirs may apply through the Director General for return of the deposit, net of any government dues.[1]

Two further amounts sit outside Schedule 1. The licence conditions require the agency to provide whatever security guarantee the government fixes from time to time for the safety of women migrant workers.[1] And each registered sub-agent must lodge Tk 3 lakh with the agency, discussed below. The fee table appears later in this guide.

How the application is decided

The 2025 Rules impose working-day deadlines at each stage. After receiving an application, the Director General must verify the information and documents and send the file to the ministry with a specific opinion within 45 working days.[1] The ministry then refers it to the recommendation committee, which has a further 45 working days to scrutinise the file, interview the applicant where needed, and make its recommendation.[1]

The 50-mark interview

The committee interviews the applicant and marks the interview out of 50. Rule 5 lists what it assesses: language skills, overseas contacts, expertise in migration, the educational qualifications of the proprietor, partners and shareholders, marketing skills, and the business plan.[1] The government is empowered to fix the scoring standards. Applicants who treat the interview as a formality, or who cannot show credible employer contacts in a destination market, are the most exposed.

Priority for lagging districts

Rule 4(7) directs that applications from persons who want to carry on recruitment in districts that lag behind in migration are to be considered on a priority basis.[1] This is a genuine policy lever. An applicant planning a principal or branch presence outside Dhaka should say so, and support it with a credible plan.

Refusal and review

A refused applicant must be informed in writing without delay. The applicant may apply to the government for reconsideration within 30 days of learning of the refusal, and the government must decide within 21 working days. That decision is stated to be final.[1] Any further challenge lies in the High Court Division's writ jurisdiction, where procedural fairness and the reasons recorded will matter.

The sequence below shows the route from incorporation to the first deployment.

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Licence conditions and the performance quota

Every licence is granted on four conditions. The agency must conduct itself and operate in accordance with the Act and Rules. In each licence term, it must send at least 100 workers abroad, at least 20 of them against attested demand letters. It must provide the security guarantee fixed for the protection of women migrants. And it must comply with any other conditions the government imposes by order consistent with the Act.[1]

The government may relax the 100-worker quota in force majeure conditions such as pandemics, epidemics, natural disasters, war or circumstances beyond control.[1] Outside those cases, the quota is the single most important number for a new agency. The Rules tie it directly to renewal, so a business plan that cannot realistically place 100 workers within three years is a plan to lose the licence.

The quota sits against a crowded market. BMET counted 2,646 recruiting agencies in January 2026, a record, after 252 new licences were approved in November 2025. Complaints to BMET against agencies stood at 2,213 in 2024, 2,380 in 2023 and 1,240 in 2022.[10] A December 2024 white paper commissioned by the government recommended a reasonable reduction in the number of agencies.[10]

Renewal of the licence

Renewal is where many manpower license Bangladesh holders come unstuck. An agency must apply at least 45 working days before expiry, on Form-3, with the renewal application fee and supporting documents.[1] The documents include a copy of the licence, the tenancy agreement and rent receipts where relevant, a report of the agency's activities over the previous three years and its latest audited financial statements. The form also asks for any pending civil or criminal case against the owners and any penalty or disciplinary action taken against the agency.[1]

A late application is possible for a reasonable cause, stated in writing.[1] The Director General reviews three years of performance and placement evidence against BMET's database and, if satisfied, directs payment of the renewal fee or the late-renewal penalty. Renewal is issued within 15 working days of the receipt being deposited and runs for three years from the day after the previous term expired.[1]

Grounds for refusing renewal

The Director General may refuse renewal, recording reasons, where the agent is responsible for misconduct; its performance is unsatisfactory; it has been punished for misconduct, fraud or an offence connected with overseas recruitment; there is a proven record of collecting excess money; its licence has been cancelled; it has a record of sending workers illegally; it has breached the Act or Rules; or a pending case has removed its eligibility for renewal.[1] The agent must be given a personal hearing before refusal, and may appeal to the government within 30 days. The government decides the appeal within 21 working days.[1]

And above all, a licence is not renewable at all if the agency failed to send at least 100 workers, including 20 against attested demand letters, in the term.[1]

Branch offices, address changes and ownership changes

Section 14 of the Act permits branch offices, and section 35 penalises operating a branch or appointing sub-agents in breach of sections 14 and 14A.[5] Under rule 9, an agency that wants one or more branches applies to the government through the Director General, who forwards the application with an opinion within 15 working days. If the opinion is satisfactory, the government approves within 30 days.[1]

The same timetable applies to a change of business or branch address under rule 10. Once a change is approved, the agency must advertise the old and new address in one Bangla and one English national daily and send copies of the notice to the ministry and the Bureau.[1]

Share transfers, directors and names

Rule 8 closes the obvious routes for selling a licence. A licence cannot be transferred to another person. A proprietorship may convert into a partnership or company, and a partnership into a company, only if the original owners keep at least 51 per cent. No partner or member may transfer shares without government approval, a company chairman, managing director or director cannot resign or be removed without prior approval, and the agency's name cannot be changed except through the Director General with government approval.[1] On the death of a proprietor, heirs may claim the licence on a succession certificate and, where relevant, a power of attorney or no-objection, but they inherit the agency's liabilities.[1]

For investors, this means a licensed agency is not a freely tradeable asset. Any acquisition structure must be cleared with the ministry before signing, and warranties should cover pending complaints, unpaid dues and the agency's placement record.

Sub-agents and the new associate recruiter

Section 14A of the Act regulates the appointment of sub-agents or representatives.[5] The 2025 Rules define a sub-agent as a registered person who collects migrant workers for a licensed agency according to that agency's demand.[1] An agency may recruit only through registered sub-agents, from BMET's database or on its own initiative, and must publish its list of registered sub-agents on its website.[1]

A sub-agent must be a Bangladeshi citizen of full age and sound mind who has passed at least the secondary school certificate or equivalent. Undischarged bankrupts, persons convicted of human trafficking, illegal migration, money laundering, international terrorism or other serious offences, and persons involved in forced labour are disqualified, as is anyone convicted of an offence of moral turpitude within the previous two years.[1] The agency applies for registration on the sub-agent's behalf, and BMET decides within 22 working days.[1]

After registration, the sub-agent lodges a security of Tk 3 lakh by pay order with the appointing agency. The agency returns it when the contract ends, but where irregularity in a migration is proved, compensation to the affected worker is paid from it.[1] The agent and sub-agent are jointly and severally liable for the sub-agent's migration activities, and a sub-agent's registration falls with the agency's licence.[1]

Associate recruiters from January 2026

Rule 14(4) originally barred one agency from appointing another as its sub-agent.[1] SRO 02-Law/2026 created a lawful alternative: a recruiting agent may now appoint another licensed agent as an "associate recruiter" under a written agreement to process worker deployment. The associate must have contracts with the workers, shares the credit and liability for its part of the process, and may count the workers it processes towards its own renewal quota.[2] For smaller agencies struggling to meet 100 placements, this is the most significant change of 2026.

Grading and classification of recruiting agencies

Section 16 of the Act requires classification of recruiting agents, and the World Bank described it as a performance-based grading system.[5] [6] The Recruiting Agent Classification Rules 2020 implement it. On 7 October 2025, SRO 403-Law/2025 replaced their schedules with a new 100-mark assessment based on each agency's performance over the most recent three years.[3]

The ten criteria and their maximum marks are: total workers sent (10); skilled and semi-skilled workers as a share of the total (10); workers sent against attested demand letters (15); transactions with workers through bank or mobile financial services (5); training centre and training activities (10); services through the agency's website (10); migration cost borne by the employer (10); office management (10); complaint management (10); and the agency's honesty, reputation and legal compliance (10).[3]

The weighting tells every manpower license Bangladesh holder what the regulator values. A proved complaint scores zero under complaint management, while a record with no complaints scores the maximum. Employer-paid migration, a recognised theme in ethical recruitment, now earns marks where the employer bears the cost for 200 or more workers. Data for most criteria comes from BMET's database, the agency's own website and the ministry's records, so grading is largely won or lost in day-to-day record keeping.[3]

Demand letter attestation and the recruitment process

A demand letter is the foreign employer's written requisition to a named Bangladeshi agency for a stated number of workers on stated terms. Before a Bangladeshi agency can lawfully act on it, the demand letter is attested by the Bangladesh mission in the destination country. The World Bank described the intended process: the employer sends the demand letter to the mission, which is meant to check living and working conditions before verifying it, and the agency then seeks approval in Dhaka.[6]

The Consulate General in Dubai illustrates current practice. Any UAE company wishing to recruit Bangladeshi nationals must submit its demand letter for attestation with an application, a letter of authorisation, the agreement and employment contract or offer letter, a guarantee letter, and both the company's licence and the recruiting agency's licence. A company representative must attend in person, and the fee is AED 221.[12] Section 33 of the Act penalises obtaining demand letters, visas or work permits by illegal means and buying or selling them.[5]

Selection, contracts and emigration clearance

Rule 11 sets the selection rules. Agencies must advertise accurately and only with permission, must not select anyone below the government's minimum age, must ensure that at least 10 per cent of workers selected hold a Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework or equivalent level, and must select from BMET's database. Medical tests must be carried out at government-approved centres.[1]

Before the worker obtains emigration clearance from BMET under section 20 of the Act, the agency must give the worker the original contract with a Bangla translation and explain every clause, and must ensure pre-departure training and briefing.[1] [5] Agencies must also keep a database of every worker sent, with destination and employer details, and update it on their website.[1] The rights of the worker in this process are covered in our guide to migrant worker rights in Bangladesh.

Recruitment cost caps and the overcharging problem

Section 21 of the Act deals with migration costs, and the government fixes country-specific ceilings.[5] Rule 11(3) forbids an agency from collecting or demanding any money above the migration cost fixed by the government, and requires that money taken for migration costs be received through banking channels or against receipts.[1] The agency must display the fixed cost for each destination at its office.[1]

The ceilings are low compared with what workers actually pay. Under the 2016 schedule, the government-fixed cost was Tk 165,000 for Saudi Arabia and Tk 106,780 for Kuwait, while a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics survey put the average actual cost for Saudi Arabia at Tk 436,366.[11] For Malaysia, the cost under the 2021 bilateral arrangement was set at about Tk 79,000, reported variously as Tk 78,540 and Tk 78,990.[8] [11]

Overcharging is now an enforcement priority. According to the Anti-Corruption Commission, agencies in the Malaysia corridor sent 267,276 workers and collected more than Tk 45.45 billion in excess fees, charging up to five times the approved cost.[7] A proven record of excess collection is an express ground for refusing renewal.[1] For an agency, the safe course is simple: every taka should move through a bank or mobile financial service and every payment should be receipted against the fixed cost.

Suspension, cancellation and penalties

Sections 12 and 13 of the Act govern suspension and revocation of licences, section 18 forfeiture of the security deposit, and sections 31 to 37 the offences, including illegally sending workers and taking money, unauthorised advertising, trading in demand letters and visas, and continuing recruitment after a licence has been cancelled.[5] Section 35A, now confirmed by Act No. 42 of 2026, adds a residual offence: breach of any provision for which no specific penalty is set is punishable with up to six months' imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk 50,000, or both.[4] The 2026 Act also brings section 35A within sections 39 and 40, the provisions on how offences are taken up and tried.[4]

The July 2026 revocations

On 19 July 2026, the ministry revoked the licences of 49 agencies over alleged syndication in recruitment for Malaysia. It relied on section 13, stating that charge sheets accepted by courts under the Penal Code justified cancellation in the public interest.[7] Some agencies obtained High Court stays, but the Appellate Division stayed those orders on 30 September and in early October 2026, so the cancellations stand for now. The Attorney General argued that the power applies once a court has accepted a charge sheet against an agency, its owner or an associated person.[8]

Cancellation for fraud

Revocation is not reserved for large cases. In June 2026, acting on the minister's instructions, the ministry cancelled the licences of three agencies alleged to have sent 30 young men to Russia on false promises, and confiscated their security deposits.[9] When a licence is suspended or cancelled, every sub-agent registration under it falls with it, and sub-agents remain liable for their past conduct.[1]

Complaints against agencies

Rule 24 lets any aggrieved person complain in writing or electronically to the government, BMET or its offices, or through the mission in the destination country, without prejudice to any other legal action. Where a complaint is proved, the government or its authorised officer must resolve it by order within 65 working days of the end of the inquiry, and complaints may be settled by mediation or arbitration if the parties agree.[1] Agencies must comply with orders and arbitral decisions made under section 41(3) of the Act.[1]

BAIRA membership and trade associations

The Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies, BAIRA, is the sector's trade body. Rule 12 of the 2025 Rules allows recruiting agents to form associations under the Trade Organisations Act 2022.[1] BAIRA membership is not among the documents the licence application requires, so it is not a condition of the licence itself.[1] It is, however, how most agencies take part in industry negotiations and in channels such as recruitment fairs, and members may be asked for it by counterparties.

The association's governance has been disrupted. The High Court suspended BAIRA's executive committee in September 2024 over alleged breaches of its constitution, and an administrator has run it since. After three postponements, the election for a 27-member board for 2026 to 2028 was scheduled for 14 November 2026, under an election board chaired by a deputy secretary of the Ministry of Commerce.[13]

Local manpower, security service and outsourcing companies

Many people looking for manpower license Bangladesh guidance run businesses that supply workers locally: cleaning and facility staff, security guards, drivers and back-office outsourcing. None of these needs a recruiting agent licence, because they do not send workers abroad. Their legal base is the ordinary company or firm structure, a trade licence from the city corporation or municipality, tax registration and full compliance with labour law.

Security guard companies

The brief for this guide asked whether a "Private Security Services Act 2006" governs security firms. We could not verify an enacted statute by that name. In August 2026, Prothom Alo reported that private security companies must obtain licences from the Home Ministry through the Dhaka Metropolitan Police and register with metropolitan police commissioners and the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, and that on 19 August 2026 the Home Ministry gave companies two months to register.[14] The industry estimates about 500,000 guards, but there is no reliable official count of firms.[14]

Outsourcing and staffing contractors

Outsourcing contractors carry labour law obligations to the workers they place. The labour rules as amended in 2022 require outsourced guards to receive the sector's minimum wage in full and bar employment by more than one organisation on the same day; the 2022 minimum wage for security guards was Tk 9,800 in divisional cities and city corporation areas and Tk 9,140 elsewhere.[14] Clients should check that their contractor is registered, pays wages through traceable channels and maintains the records labour inspectors expect. Our guide to labour law in Bangladesh covers the employer obligations in detail.

Manpower license Bangladesh mistakes to avoid

The same errors recur. First, relying on the 2019 Rules or old fee lists: the deposit, the quota and the renewal timetable have all changed. Second, underestimating the quota: 100 placements, 20 of them against attested demand letters, is the price of renewal. Third, informal intermediaries: recruiting through unregistered brokers exposes the agency under section 35 and the Rules, and a registered sub-agent's Tk 3 lakh deposit exists precisely because the regulator expects things to go wrong.[1] [5]

Fourth, treating a licensed agency as a tradeable shell: share transfers, director changes and name changes all need prior approval. Fifth, cash collections: overcharging is now pursued by the Anti-Corruption Commission, and cash receipts are the hardest evidence to defend. Sixth, ignoring the grading criteria, which reward exactly the records a well-run agency should already keep.[3] [7]

The table summarises the charges in Schedule 1 as amended.

TRW advises applicants, licensed agencies, foreign employers and investors on licensing, renewals, ownership changes, sub-agent structures, complaints, and challenges to suspension or cancellation. For the employment side of overseas and local workforce issues, see our employment law compliance practice, or contact TRW to discuss your licence.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is a manpower license Bangladesh recruiters must hold?

It is a recruiting agent licence under the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013, issued by the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment through BMET. Only a licence-holder may recruit Bangladeshi workers for employment abroad.[5] [6]

How much is the security deposit for a recruiting agency licence?

Tk 35 lakh, by pay order, since SRO 02-Law/2026 took effect on 5 January 2026. The July 2025 Rules originally set it at Tk 50 lakh.[1] [2]

What fees are payable for a recruiting agency licence?

An application fee of Tk 5,000 and a licence fee of Tk 3 lakh, plus the security deposit. Renewal costs Tk 4,000 to apply and Tk 1 lakh in renewal fee, all exclusive of VAT and tax.[1]

How long is a recruiting agent licence valid?

Three years from issue or renewal. Renewal must be sought at least 45 working days before expiry, and a renewed licence runs three years from the day after the previous term ended.[1]

How many workers must an agency send to renew its licence?

At least 100 in each licence term, of whom at least 20 must be sent against attested demand letters. The government may relax the quota in force majeure conditions.[1]

Can a foreign investor own a Bangladeshi recruiting agency?

Only as a minority. Section 10 of the Act, as the World Bank summarises it, requires at least 60 per cent Bangladeshi ownership, and a foreign or non-resident shareholder needs a certificate or no-objection from the Bangladesh mission.[1] [6]

Can a recruiting agency licence be sold or transferred?

No. The licence is not transferable, and share transfers, director changes and name changes need prior government approval. Conversions of entity type are allowed only if the original owners keep at least 51 per cent.[1]

Is BAIRA membership mandatory for a manpower licence?

It is not listed among the documents required for a licence. The Rules allow agencies to form associations under the Trade Organisations Act 2022, and BAIRA is the established body.[1]

On what grounds can a recruiting agency licence be cancelled?

Sections 12 and 13 of the Act provide for suspension and revocation. In July 2026 the ministry used section 13 to revoke 49 licences after courts accepted charge sheets, and in June 2026 it cancelled three for alleged fraud and confiscated their deposits.[5] [7] [9]

Does a local security or staffing company need a manpower license Bangladesh recruiters hold?

No. The recruiting agent licence covers overseas recruitment only. Local security firms are reported to need Home Ministry licensing through the police and registration with labour inspectors, and staffing contractors must comply with labour law.[14]