Foreign Investment Services in Bangladesh

They are treated under the same framework for branch, liaison and representative offices of foreign companies and share the core rule: no income-generating activity in Bangladesh. The difference is mostly in the approved activities written into the permission letter, so describe your actual purpose clearly in the application rather than relying on the label.

A resident Bangladeshi cannot lawfully fund or acquire a foreign company without prior Bangladesh Bank permission, which is mainly available to eligible exporters under the outward investment rules. A Bangladeshi citizen who genuinely lives and works abroad is in a different position and is governed largely by the laws of the country where they reside.

For most sectors, permission is issued by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), which handles branch, liaison and representative offices of foreign companies. Banks and other regulated financial businesses follow approval through their sector regulator. Check the current procedure at the time of filing, since processes are periodically updated.

In most sectors, yes. Bangladesh permits full foreign ownership except in a small list of reserved sectors and some regulated sectors that have their own ownership limits or licensing. Because a private company needs two shareholders, the second share is usually held by a group company or an individual nominee for the parent.

Yes. Foreign individuals and companies can own shares in Bangladeshi companies, and in most sectors up to 100% ownership is allowed. A few sectors are reserved for the state, and regulated sectors such as banking, insurance, telecoms and some services have their own licensing and ownership conditions.

Appointing a local distributor or agent is fastest because no entity is created. Among entity options, a subsidiary and a liaison office take broadly similar time, driven mostly by how quickly foreign documents are legalised and the bank account is opened. A branch requires BIDA permission before operations.