Investment compliance · Bangladesh
Investment Compliance for Foreign Companies in Bangladesh
Investment compliance means keeping a foreign-owned company's registrations, capital reports, filings and remittances in line with Bangladesh law. We keep yours in order with BIDA, Bangladesh Bank, RJSC and NBR, from the first inward remittance to the day you send profits home, and tell you what is due before it falls due.
- Investment registration and Bangladesh Bank reporting
- Share issuance paperwork against inward remittance
- AGM, annual return and tax return calendar
- Dividend and profit repatriation files
What we handle
Investment Compliance Services We Handle
Six workstreams, one file. Take all of them, or only the ones your team in Bangladesh cannot cover.
Investment registration
BIDA registration for your subsidiary, joint venture, branch or liaison office through the One Stop Service portal, then the follow-up notice to Bangladesh Bank. Still choosing a structure? Start with company registration.
Capital inflow and shares
Capital brought in through the banking channel, the encashment certificate from your bank, share allotment and the report to Bangladesh Bank's Foreign Exchange Investment Department.
Corporate filings
Board resolutions, the yearly AGM, the annual return and audited accounts filed with RJSC, plus updates when directors or shareholders change. Need a full company secretary? See our secretarial services.
Tax and VAT returns
Company income tax return, monthly withholding tax returns and VAT returns, matched to your audited accounts. Planning ahead of filing sits with our tax planning team.
Expat work permits
Work permits and visas for foreign directors and staff, kept in line with their salary and tax records. Ongoing payroll for them runs through expatriate management.
Profit repatriation
Dividend declarations, tax proof and the bank file for sending dividends or branch profits abroad, and the paperwork for an exit when you sell shares or close.
One Compliance Desk for Your Bangladesh Investment
Foreign companies in Bangladesh rarely get into trouble through one big mistake. It is usually a share report that was never filed, an AGM that slipped a year, or capital that arrived without the right certificate. Each gap stays quiet until you try to bring in more capital or send money home.
We hold the whole file in one place: registration, remittance records, share register, RJSC filings and tax returns.
When a regulator or your bank asks for a document, it is already there. When a deadline comes up, you get the draft for sign-off before it is due, not a reminder after it has passed.
Covered end to end
From First Remittance to Final Repatriation
Investment compliance follows your money into Bangladesh and back out again. We cover every stage on that route.
Enter
Register the investment with BIDA and notify Bangladesh Bank.
BIDA · Bangladesh BankCapitalise
Bring capital in through the bank, collect the encashment certificate, allot shares and report them.
AD bank · Bangladesh BankOperate
Hold the AGM and file the annual return, tax and VAT returns every cycle.
RJSC · NBRStaff
Secure work permits for foreign staff and keep their records aligned.
BIDARepatriate
Remit dividends or branch profits, and handle exit paperwork when you sell or close.
AD bank · Bangladesh BankCompliance calendar
The Investment Compliance Deadlines We Track for You
Each date below sits in your calendar with us. We prepare the filing and send it to you for sign-off before it falls due.
To report a share issue to a foreign shareholder to Bangladesh Bank.
Bangladesh BankWithholding tax return for the previous month.
NBREvery company holds one each calendar year. The first is due within 18 months of incorporation.
RJSCAnnual return and audited accounts filed with RJSC.
RJSCCompany income tax return, due on the 15th day of the seventh month after your income year ends.
NBRBoard resolution, audited accounts and tax proof ready before your bank sends a dividend abroad.
AD bank
Who Our Investment Compliance Service Is For
Foreign investors at four different stages come to us. The scope changes, the file we keep does not.
New subsidiary
You are putting first capital into a Bangladesh company and want the remittance, shares and reports right from day one.
Catch-up file
Your entity has run for years and filings fell behind. We map what is missing and bring it back in order.
Branch or liaison office
Your office needs its BIDA permission, returns and head-office remittances kept current. Not open yet? See branch office setup.
Joint venture
You hold shares alongside a local partner and want your side of the compliance file independent and visible.
Investment Compliance in Bangladesh: FAQs
Yes. Foreign-owned and joint-venture projects register with BIDA regardless of investment size, and branch, liaison and representative offices need BIDA permission before they open. Registration is filed online through BIDA's One Stop Service portal.
Within 14 days of issuing the shares. The capital must arrive through the banking channel before the shares are issued, and your bank's encashment certificate supports the report to Bangladesh Bank.
Post-tax dividends to foreign shareholders are generally remitted through your authorised dealer bank without prior Bangladesh Bank approval, as long as the paperwork is complete. Branch profits and sale proceeds of unlisted shares follow stricter rules, so we confirm the route for your case first.
Yes. We start with a gap review of your registration, share, RJSC and tax records. Then we set out what can still be filed, what needs an extension or a court order, and the order to do it in.
No. We work with your directors abroad by email and video call, prepare every filing for their signature, and act as your contact point with banks and regulators in Dhaka.
No. The scope depends on your entity type, how many years are involved and which filings are already current. After a short review we send a written quote.
- Foreign Private Investment (Promotion and Protection) Act, 1980 – the base law protecting foreign investment, including the right to repatriate capital and returns.
- Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Act, 2016 – set up BIDA, which registers foreign and joint-venture projects and approves branch, liaison and representative offices.
- Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947 and Bangladesh Bank's Guidelines for Foreign Exchange Transactions (GFET), 2018 – govern inward remittance, share issues to non-residents (reported within 14 days) and outward remittance of dividends and sale proceeds.
- Companies Act, 1994 – requires an AGM in every calendar year, the first within 18 months of incorporation, and annual returns to RJSC.
- Income Tax Act, 2023 (administered by the National Board of Revenue) – replaced the Income Tax Ordinance, 1984 and sets company return dates, withholding obligations and tax on dividends paid abroad.
- Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty Act, 2012 – governs VAT registration and returns.
Key deadlines at a glance
- Share issue to a foreign shareholder: report to Bangladesh Bank within 14 days.
- Withholding tax return: by the 15th of the following month.
- AGM: once every calendar year; the first within 18 months of incorporation.
- Annual return and audited accounts: filed with RJSC after each AGM.
- Company income tax return: on Tax Day, the 15th day of the seventh month after the income year ends.
- Dividend remittance: board resolution, audited accounts and tax proof ready before the bank remits.
These rules change through Bangladesh Bank circulars and each year's Finance Act. We check the current position before every filing.
Investing in Bangladesh, or Already Here?
Tell us your entity type and what has been filed so far. We will reply with a gap review plan and a written quote.