Licensing & IP Services in Bangladesh

At minimum, most businesses need a trade license from the local authority, an e-TIN, and a VAT BIN if they supply taxable goods or services or need it for banking and procurement. Companies also need RJSC incorporation. Importers and exporters add IRC or ERC, and regulated sectors such as food, drugs, telecoms or finance need a sector license from their regulator.

Yes, in many areas. DNCC and DSCC run online trade license systems, and other City Corporations and Pourashavas have introduced online applications too. You upload scanned documents, the authority verifies them, and you pay online. Some authorities still require physical submission or a field visit, especially for certain business categories or premises.

Patents are governed by the Bangladesh Patent Act 2022, which replaced the patent provisions of the Patents and Designs Act 1911. Industrial designs are dealt with under separate design legislation. Applications are filed with the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT) under the Ministry of Industries.

No. Copyright arises automatically when an original work is created. Registration is voluntary, but the certificate serves as prima facie evidence of ownership, which makes it much easier to enforce your rights, request platform takedowns, file complaints or prove ownership to investors and licensees.

Filing is immediate, but full registration usually takes from around a year to a few years. Time depends on examination backlog at DPDT, whether objections are raised, journal publication and whether anyone opposes. Your rights date back to the filing date once the mark is registered, so filing early is what matters most.

It is a permit from the local authority, a City Corporation, Pourashava or Union Parishad, allowing a person or entity to carry on a particular business at a particular address. It is renewed every fiscal year and is required by banks, NBR, CCI&E and many customers as basic proof that the business operates lawfully.