Your one-stop legal partner for investing in Bangladesh
From incorporation to your first dividend remittance, The Legacy Attorneys handles every legal step of entering and operating in Bangladesh, so you can focus on the business.
Why Bangladesh, and why now
Bangladesh is one of South Asia’s fastest-growing economies, with a domestic market of over 170 million people, a young workforce and a government actively courting foreign capital through Invest Bangladesh (BIDA), economic zones and hi-tech parks. The opportunity is real. So is the paperwork.
Entering Bangladesh means dealing with at least five authorities (RJSC, Invest Bangladesh, Bangladesh Bank, the National Board of Revenue and your sector regulator), each with its own forms, sequencing and timelines. Investors who approach them piecemeal lose months. Investors who approach them with one coordinated legal team do not.
Every legal step, one coordinated team
Company registration
We advise on the right vehicle (wholly owned subsidiary, joint venture, branch office or liaison office) and incorporate it with RJSC. We draft constitutional documents that protect the parent’s control, handle foreign shareholder documentation and open the path to the next step.
Invest Bangladesh (BIDA) guidance
Registration with Invest Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), unlocks incentives, work permits and foreign borrowing approvals. We prepare and lodge the application through its Online One Stop Service portal, respond to queries and advise on tax holidays, duty exemptions and economic zone options.
Bangladesh Bank compliance
Bringing capital in and taking returns out are governed by Bangladesh Bank’s foreign exchange regulations. We structure equity injections and shareholder loans, obtain the necessary approvals and set up the reporting that keeps your remittances moving without obstruction.
Tax registration
We obtain your company’s Tax Identification Number, register directors and expatriate staff, and put a compliance calendar in place for advance tax, withholding and annual returns, with double taxation treaty and transfer pricing advice from day one.
VAT registration
We register your Business Identification Number with the VAT authority, advise on the correct VAT treatment of your products or services, and set up monthly return compliance.
Work permits
Expatriate directors, managers and specialists need work permits from Invest Bangladesh (or the relevant economic zone authority), security clearance and visa endorsements. We manage the whole process and its renewals.
Employment compliance
We draft employment contracts and HR policies that comply with the Bangladesh Labour Act, set up the mandatory welfare arrangements and advise on the ratio of local to expatriate staff that Invest Bangladesh expects.
Banking support
We assist with opening corporate and foreign currency accounts, documenting capital receipts, and meeting the KYC and encashment certificate requirements banks apply to foreign-owned companies.
Licensing support
Trade licence, import and export registration, fire and environmental clearances, and sector licences: we identify every permit your operation needs and obtain each in the right order.
Ongoing legal retainer
Once you are operating, we remain your legal department in Bangladesh under a fixed monthly retainer: contract review, regulatory filings, board support, employment questions and a lawyer who already knows your business.
From scoping call to a live company
Scoping call
We understand your business model, ownership and timeline.
Entry roadmap
A written plan setting out structure, approvals, sequence, timing and costs.
Execution
We run every filing and keep you updated at each milestone.
Handover and retainer
Your company is live, compliant and supported.
One point of contact, every authority covered
- One point of contact. A single lead lawyer coordinates every authority.
- Regulatory insight. Our principal served inside the National Board of Revenue; we understand how officials assess an application.
- International standards. A Lincoln’s Inn barrister and Chartered Institute of Arbitrators member leads the chambers; our documentation meets the expectations of overseas boards, lenders and auditors.
- Disputes covered. If a dispute arises with a partner, supplier or authority, the same chambers handles litigation and arbitration.
- Plain-English reporting. Status reports your head office can read without a glossary.
Questions investors ask first
Short answers to the questions we hear most often at the scoping stage.
Yes, in most sectors. A few sectors are reserved or require local participation; we confirm the position for your industry at the scoping stage.
Typically a few weeks once documents are in order; Invest Bangladesh registration and bank account opening follow in parallel.
Yes. Dividends, and in due course capital, can be remitted through authorised dealer banks on compliance with Bangladesh Bank requirements.
Send us an outline of your business
Send us a brief outline of your business and we will respond with an initial roadmap.
For foreign companies and individuals with matters in Bangladesh
You do not need to be in Bangladesh to have a legal matter here. We act for overseas companies, foreign nationals and non-resident Bangladeshis from wherever they are, and we are used to running matters for clients who will never set foot in our office.
For foreign companies
- Contracts with Bangladeshi parties. Drafting, reviewing and enforcing supply, distribution, agency, licensing and services agreements with Bangladeshi counterparties, including governing law, stamping and enforceability advice.
- Debt recovery and commercial claims. Pursuing unpaid invoices, breach of contract and other claims against Bangladeshi companies through negotiation, arbitration or the courts.
- Enforcing foreign judgments and arbitral awards. Recognition and enforcement of awards under the New York Convention and the Arbitration Act 2001, and strategy for foreign judgments.
- Due diligence on Bangladeshi partners. Corporate, litigation and reputational checks on a prospective distributor, supplier, agent or joint venture partner before you commit.
- Local counsel for your home lawyers. Bangladesh-law opinions, affidavits, document legalisation and court filings in support of proceedings elsewhere.
- Branch, liaison and representative offices. Where a full subsidiary is more than you need, a lighter presence registered with Invest Bangladesh and RJSC.
- Intellectual property protection. Trademark registration and enforcement against counterfeiting and passing-off in the Bangladeshi market.
For foreign individuals and non-resident Bangladeshis
- Property. Buying, selling, leasing and managing property in Bangladesh from abroad; title investigation; recovering land from unlawful occupation; resolving disputes with developers or co-owners.
- Inheritance and succession. Succession certificates, letters of administration, distribution of a deceased relative’s estate and disputes between heirs, under Muslim, Hindu or Christian personal law.
- Powers of attorney. Drafting, notarising and registering powers of attorney so a trusted person in Bangladesh can act for you, and revoking ones that are being misused.
- Family matters. Marriage registration, divorce, maintenance and custody where one party lives abroad, including cross-border enforcement issues.
- Litigation in your absence. Civil and criminal matters conducted on your behalf through registered attorneys, with court-approved arrangements for evidence from abroad where available.
- Investment and banking. Non-resident investment accounts, remittances, Wage Earners’ Development Bonds and Bangladesh Bank compliance for non-resident Bangladeshis.
- Citizenship and documentation. Dual citizenship certificates, no-visa-required endorsements, birth and marriage certificates and document attestation for use abroad.
Five simple steps
Reach out
Email us a summary of your matter and any documents you have. We respond within one working day with an initial view and a fee proposal.
Engage
We sign an engagement letter electronically and agree a point of contact in your time zone.
Authorise
Where the matter needs it, we prepare a power of attorney for execution at the Bangladesh mission nearest you, and handle its registration here.
Stay informed
Regular written updates, video calls at agreed intervals and a secure channel for documents.
Pay simply
Fees invoiced in BDT or USD and payable by international bank transfer.
Need a lawyer in Bangladesh?
Email info@legacyattorneys.net or book a video consultation.