Investing from South Korea

Investing in Bangladesh from South Korea

In short

A Korean company entering Bangladesh usually does so through a private limited company registered with the RJSC, a branch office permitted by BIDA, or a unit inside an export processing zone. Korean investment into Bangladesh has concentrated in manufacturing for export, where the zone regimes carry their own licensing, labour and customs rules that sit alongside the general law rather than replacing it.

Route at a glance

Source market: South Korea
Destination law: Bangladesh corporate, investment, tax and exchange-control rules.
Treaty position: Confirmed on your facts before it is stated.
Where advice is delivered: From Dhaka. No global-office claim.

Key takeaways

Korean investment into Bangladesh has concentrated in export manufacturing, where the zone regimes matter more than the general company law.
A unit inside an EPZ answers to BEPZA, and an economic zone unit to BEZA — not to BIDA — with their own licensing, labour and customs rules.
Zone incentives are conditional. What is granted depends on the activity approved, and it can be lost if the activity changes.
How profits and capital leave Bangladesh depends on how the investment came in and was recorded.

Tax treaty position between Bangladesh and South Korea

Whether a double taxation agreement applies to your position, and what it gives you, depends on the structure and on the agreement in force at the time. We confirm the current position against the National Board of Revenue's own list for your facts rather than stating a general rule here, because a treaty summary that has gone out of date is worse than none.

The guide chapter on double taxation agreements and foreign tax implications sets out how the regime works.

Setting up, according to BIDA

A branch, liaison, representative or project office must bring in foreign exchange equivalent to US$50,000 or more within two months of BIDA approval.: It is a deadline that starts on approval rather than on opening, and it is missed by groups who treat approval as the finish line.
A company is registered with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC&F) through the BIDA One Stop Service: name clearance, verification of the capital deposit, office address, documents, fees, then tax and trade registrations.: The order is fixed. Capital has to be in and evidenced before the registration completes.
The employer applies for an expatriate work permit through BIDA OSS, and must submit the application and documents including a copy of the appropriate visa within 15 days of the expatriate arriving.: Fifteen days from arrival, and the duty is the employer's rather than the individual's.

Source: Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, investment FAQ, read 3 August 2026. Rules change; check the current position before acting.

Taking money out, according to BIDA

Registered investors may repatriate invested capital, profit and dividend, and may remit royalties and franchise, technical licence, know-how and technical assistance fees.: The permission exists; what governs it in practice is how the investment was brought in and recorded.
Dividend and profit income, both final and interim, may be remitted to non-resident shareholders through an authorised dealer. A branch of a foreign company may remit post-tax profits to its head office the same way.: An authorised dealer bank is the route in both cases, and it will ask for the evidence the route requires.
A foreign national employed in Bangladesh may remit up to 80% of monthly salary, after deducting admissible expenses, savings and retirement benefits, through an authorised dealer.: It is a ceiling on the monthly figure, not on the total, and it is worth knowing before an employment package is agreed.

Source: Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, investment FAQ and incentives, read 3 August 2026. Rules change; check the current position before acting.

What Korean clients ask us for

Sectors we see most from South Korea

The detail, from our Bangladesh guide

The law is the same wherever the investor is from. These are the chapters that matter most on the way in, in the order they arise.

Common questions

Should a Korean manufacturer set up inside an EPZ or outside it?

It depends on whether the output is for export or for the domestic market, and on what the business needs from the labour and customs regimes. Zone status brings incentives and its own supervision; outside the zones there is more freedom and fewer concessions. The decision is commercial as much as legal, and it is difficult to reverse.

Who approves a Korean investment in Bangladesh?

BIDA for most investment outside the zones, BEPZA for export processing zone units, and BEZA for economic zones. Which one applies follows from where and how the business operates, and each has its own application, conditions and reporting.

Can a Korean company own its factory land in Bangladesh?

Land rules differ inside and outside the zones, and foreign ownership of land is restricted. Inside a zone, premises are usually taken on a long lease from the zone authority. We advise on the position for the specific site before anything is committed.

Please note. This is general information about doing business in Bangladesh, not legal advice, and no solicitor–client relationship arises from reading it. Law, policy and treaty positions change; take advice on your own facts before acting.