When shipping to Bangladesh, clearance through Customs depends on whether you're shipping:

• Documents with no commercial value
• Dutiable goods

Customs clearance hours are from 0930 to 1630, Saturday to Wednesday, and from 0930 to 1430 on Thursdays.

The shipper, the recipient, or a third party may pay duty and/or tax.

Partial clearance of shipments is not allowed.

Duty and taxes will be assessed on all shipments, including gift items. Duty exempt imports include shipments from governments, semi-government organizations, embassies, etc. All duty exempt shipments must include the applicable duty exemption letters.

Customs reserves the right to declare any shipment to be undervalued. Any shipment thought to be undervalued will be reassessed for the actual value and clearance will be delayed.

If a shipment has not received clearance within 30 days from arrival, the shipment will be considered abandoned and surrendered to Customs. No claims will be accepted after 30 days.

Clearance must occur at Dhaka Airport. Shipments may not be transferred to another airport within Bangladesh until clearance has been received from Dhaka.

Same-day clearance is available for shipments of samples valued up to US $100 and weighing up to 5 kg if consignee authorizes duty and tax to be billed to the shipper on the Air Waybill. Shipments valued over US $100 and weighing more than 5 kg will require formal clearance and will take two to four days.

Certain items are prohibited by Customs for import to Bangladesh. These items are in addition to items forbidden by IATA. Senders are responsible for making sure that the goods they are shipping are acceptable for shipment to Bangladesh.

Forbidden for Import to Bangladesh

• Currencies
• Liquor
• Dangerous goods as defined by IATA
• Viagra
• Pornographic materials
• Arms and explosives
• Leather (wet blue)
• Ice (wet)
• Jewelry containing precious metals
• Metals, precious
• Human body parts
• Live animals
• Personal effects

Restrictions for Import to Bangladesh

• Medicine requires a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Drug Administration
• Food, perishable and non-perishable, requires a Radiation Certificate from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) to be submitted by consignee to Customs for clearance
• Wireless telephones (electronic and remote control) require a Certificate from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC)

Required Documentation

Required documentation varies according to the following factors:

• If you are shipping documents, an Air Waybill and Master Air Waybill are required.
• If you are sending a gift shipment, an Air Waybill, Commercial Invoice and authorization of the consignee are required.
• If you are shipping samples, an Air Waybill, a Master Air Waybill, a Commercial Invoice, and a copy of VAT registration are required.
• If you are shipping a high value shipment, an Air Waybill, Master Air Waybill, a VAT Registration Certificate, an Import Registration Certificate, an Import Permit, and authorization from the consignee are required.

Regulatory Contact Information