Expatriate advisory services for Bangladesh assignments
Pre-arrival assessment, tax-residency planning, salary structuring, sponsorship options and a written assignment plan for each foreign national you post to Bangladesh — USD 450 per case, credited against work-permit fees if you proceed.
What are expatriate advisory services in Bangladesh?
Expatriate advisory services in Bangladesh are the planning work done before a foreign national is posted: confirming the role qualifies for a BIDA work permit and which entity will sponsor it, modelling tax residency and the first-year cost, structuring salary between Bangladesh and home-country payroll within Bangladesh Bank rules, and producing an assignment plan with dates, documents and owners.
Most failed or delayed expatriate postings to Bangladesh trace back to decisions taken before the application: a job title that BIDA regards as replaceable by local staff, a start date that makes the assignee tax-resident weeks earlier than necessary, or a split-salary arrangement agreed verbally that cannot be documented later. Nexus Payroll's advisory desk resolves those questions in writing first, then hands the case to our Expats HR and Expats Payroll teams for execution. The work-permit process itself is described on the hub page.
What does an expatriate advisory engagement cover?
Each case covers a permit-eligibility opinion (role, ratio, sponsor), a tax-residency and cost model for the assignment period, salary and benefits structuring including housing and school allowances, a Bangladesh Bank remittance check for any offshore element, a document checklist with legalisation requirements, and a dated assignment plan shared with the assignee, your HR team and your tax adviser.
Permit eligibility opinion
Whether the role passes BIDA's "no local expert available" test, which entity should sponsor, and how the assignee fits the 1:5 or 1:20 ratio; alternatives if it does not.
Tax-residency and cost model
Resident versus non-resident outcomes under the Income Tax Act 2023, gross-up if you guarantee net pay, employer cost by month, and the effect of moving the start date.
Salary structuring
Bangladesh-paid base, housing, education and hardship allowances within NBR exemption rules; any offshore element documented for Bangladesh Bank; benefits mapped to local insurers.
Documents and legalisation
Checklist by nationality: passport validity, degree and experience certificates, police clearance where required, apostille or embassy legalisation, translations.
Family and relocation scoping
Dependant visas, schooling options in Gulshan and Baridhara, housing budgets, medical cover and a realistic settling-in timeline.
Assignment plan
A dated plan from board resolution to tax registration, with owners on both sides, so the assignee's first day in Dhaka is a work day, not a paperwork day.
Which rules decide an expatriate's tax position in Bangladesh?
Residency turns on days present: 182 or more in the income year, or 90 in the year with 365 across the previous four. Residents pay slab rates from 10% to 30% above the BDT 375,000 threshold; non-residents pay a flat 30% on Bangladesh-source income. Employers withhold monthly, and a tax clearance certificate is needed before final departure.
Residency test
182 days in the income year, or 90 days plus 365 in the preceding four years.
Income Tax Act 2023Non-resident rate
Flat 30% on Bangladesh-source income; no tax-free threshold, no investment rebate.
Income Tax Act 2023Double-tax treaties
Bangladesh has treaties with the UK, India, Singapore, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and others; relief is claimed on the Bangladesh return with a home-country residency certificate.
NBR treaty networkExit clearance
A tax clearance or exemption certificate from the Deputy Commissioner of Taxes is required before a foreign national leaves Bangladesh permanently.
Income Tax Act 2023This page is informational and reflects Bangladesh law as we understand it on the review date. It is not a substitute for licensed legal or tax advice in Bangladesh or in your own jurisdiction. Statutory figures change; confirm current values with your adviser before relying on them.
How much do expatriate advisory services cost?
Nexus Payroll charges USD 450 per assignee for the full advisory package, credited in full against the USD 1,450 work-permit fee if you proceed with us within 90 days. Multi-assignee programmes (five or more in a year) are quoted as a retainer. Home-country tax advice is referred to your adviser or a partner firm.
Expatriate advisory FAQ
When does an expatriate become tax-resident in Bangladesh?
After 182 days or more in Bangladesh in an income year, or 90 days in the year plus 365 days in the preceding four years, under the Income Tax Act 2023. Residents are taxed on worldwide income at the progressive slab rates; non-residents pay a flat 30% on Bangladesh-source income with no threshold. The assignment start date therefore changes the first year's tax bill materially, and we model both options.
Can part of an expatriate's salary be paid abroad?
Yes, within Bangladesh Bank's foreign-exchange rules: a portion of net salary may be remitted or paid offshore with the employer's board approval and, for larger amounts, Bangladesh Bank permission. The whole salary remains taxable in Bangladesh if the individual is resident. Split-payroll structures must be documented before the first payment, which is why advisory precedes payroll.
Do we need a local sponsor if we have no Bangladesh entity?
Yes. BIDA issues work permits only to registered establishments, so an expatriate cannot be sponsored by a foreign company directly. Nexus Payroll Limited sponsors expatriates employed through our EOR, within BIDA's one-foreigner-per-five-local-staff ratio for commercial establishments. Where you have an entity, it sponsors and we run the process.
Related pages
- Expats HR Services — Contracts, relocation, permits, renewals
- Expats Payroll Services — Split payroll, 30% non-resident tax, remittance
- Expatriate work permit and visa processing — the hub page
- Employer of Record — Nexus as local sponsor and employer
- Payroll outsourcing — the local-staff payroll the expat payroll sits on
- Pricing
- FAQ
Get the assignment right before the flight is booked
Send the role, nationality and intended start date. We return an eligibility opinion and first-year cost model within three business days.