The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) has organized a high-level sensitization session with the Ministry of Home Affairs and relevant security agencies to enhance coordination on investment facilitation and ensure a smoother experience for foreign professionals in Bangladesh.
The session, held at BIDA’s Multipurpose Hall at Agargaon’s Biniyog Bhaban, was chaired by BIDA Executive Chairman Mr. Ashik Chowdhury and organized in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the TEPP-II project.
In his remarks, Mr. Ashik Chowdhury stated: “Our partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs has come a long way, as we share a joint responsibility to ensure a welcoming and enabling environment for foreigners who choose to invest and work in Bangladesh. We have already digitalized a major part of the work permit ecosystem, which is BIDA’s work permit services and Ministry of Home Affairs’ security clearance. We are now actively working to digitalize the visa application process in partnership with the Department of Immigration.”
“It is also critical to ensure that investors experience a seamless and harmonized process across institutions. When an investor applies for a work permit, there should be no unreasonable disparity between procedures at BIDA and BEZA or any other investment promotion agency,” he added.
The workshop was attended by senior representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Immigration & Passports and relevant security agencies.
In his remarks, Md. Delwar Hossain, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said, “With close collaboration with BIDA, we have successfully moved security clearance processes entirely online. We are now working to transition passport and related services to a fully digital platform as well.”
BIDA Director General (International Investment Promotion Wing) Md. Ariful Haque urged field-level officers to consistently share their on-ground experiences and challenges, so that future decisions are better informed and service delivery continues to improve.
The process of obtaining security clearance against new work permits issued by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) went fully online from 1 October 2025. Foreign investors and expatriate employees will be required to submit their applications for security clearance exclusively through BIDA’s One Stop Service (OSS) Portal (https://bidaquickserv.org/).Once the application is submitted with all required documents, if no objections are raised within 21 working days, the clearance will be deemed as granted. Failure to submit the security clearance application within the time specified in the work permit will render the work permit invalid.
BIDA engages in regular coordination with Ministry of Home Affairs for process simplification and enhanced service delivery.
