Shipping from China and Hong Kong to Bangladesh: customs, Chattogram and letters of credit

Customs authority: National Board of Revenue, Bangladesh Customs
Key requirement: Letter of credit through an authorised dealer bank for most commercial imports
Import VAT: 15 percent, alongside duty and supplementary duties on some goods
Operational reality: Chattogram congestion and long dwell times
Industry structure: Bonded warehousing central to the garment export industry
Main entry points: Chattogram by sea, Dhaka by air

The letter of credit requirement is tied to foreign exchange control. The importer opens the LC through an authorised dealer bank, the terms of that LC govern the shipment, and customs will expect the documents to match it. Shipping outside an LC without the appropriate alternative arrangement creates a problem at both the bank and the border.

Chattogram handles the overwhelming majority of the country container traffic, and congestion there is the defining operational reality. Dwell times are long by regional standards, yard capacity is constrained, and delays are structural rather than occasional.

The garment industry shapes everything. Bangladesh is one of the largest apparel exporters in the world, and the bonded warehouse system that lets manufacturers import fabric and accessories duty free for re-export is central to how the country trade works. For anyone supplying that industry, understanding the bonded regime matters more than understanding the tariff.

Where cargo lands

Main freight and distribution centres

Dhaka

The capital and the largest market, with the main airport and inland container depots serving it.

Chattogram

The port city and the industrial centre, where most import cargo enters the country.

Gazipur and Narayanganj

The garment manufacturing belt around Dhaka, the destination for most imported textile inputs.

Mongla

The second seaport, in the southwest, smaller but an alternative for some cargo.

Sea freight

Ports of entry and what they mean for your cargo

Chattogram

The main port, handling the large majority of container traffic. Draft limits mean larger vessels transhipment elsewhere, and congestion is persistent.

Mongla

The second port, less congested but with fewer services and a longer inland leg to Dhaka.

Matarbari

Deepwater port under development, intended to address the draft limitations that force transhipment today.

Colombo or Singapore

Not Bangladeshi, but the transhipment points through which most Bangladeshi cargo actually passes.

Chattogram draft limits mean most Asian cargo transhipments, usually at Colombo, Singapore or Port Klang, which adds a leg and makes the connection a real variable.

Congestion and long dwell times at Chattogram are structural. Any schedule that assumes prompt release is unrealistic, and the documentation needs to be complete before arrival to avoid adding to it.

Inland container depots near Dhaka handle a significant share of clearance, which can be more practical than clearing at the port.

Air freight

Airports and when air is the right answer

Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal (DAC)

The main air cargo gateway, heavily used by the garment industry for urgent shipments in both directions.

Chattogram (CGP)

Secondary gateway serving the port city and surrounding industry.

Air freight is used heavily by the garment industry when a production deadline is at risk, both for inbound fabric and accessories and for outbound finished goods.

Capacity at Dhaka is constrained relative to demand, particularly in peak season, so urgent air cargo needs booking rather than assuming.

Indicative transit times

How long the movement usually takes

Sea FCL, South China to ChattogramAround 12 to 22 days port to portUsually with a transhipment, which is where the range comes from.
Sea LCL, South China to BangladeshAround 20 to 32 days door to doorConsolidation, transhipment and port dwell all add time.
Air freight, Hong Kong or South China to DhakaAround 3 to 7 days door to doorIncluding handling and clearance, subject to capacity.
Port dwell and clearance at ChattogramAdd several daysA structural feature rather than an exception. Plan for it.

These ranges are indicative and exist to help you plan. Real transit time depends on the service, the season, the routing and the clearance itself, and we confirm it per shipment rather than publish it as a promise.

Customs

How clearance into Bangladesh actually works

The competent authority is National Board of Revenue, Bangladesh Customs.

Most commercial imports require a letter of credit opened through an authorised dealer bank before shipment. The LC terms govern the transaction and customs expects the shipping documents to correspond to it, so the banking step comes first in sequence.

Import taxes are layered: customs duty, VAT at 15 percent, supplementary duty on some categories, regulatory duty and advance income tax. The effective landed cost is considerably higher than the headline duty rate for consumer goods.

The bonded warehouse system allows export oriented manufacturers, particularly in garments, to import inputs without paying duty and tax where the output is exported. This is the structural core of Bangladeshi trade and it operates under its own licensing and audit regime.

Documentation is examined formally and inconsistencies cause real delay in an environment where port dwell is already long.

A foreign company needs a local importer, since the declarant must be established in Bangladesh and hold the appropriate import registration.

Documentation

What you need to have ready

Letter of credit

Opened through an authorised dealer bank before shipment for most commercial imports.

Commercial invoice

Must correspond to the LC terms as well as to the goods.

Packing list

Piece counts, weights and dimensions per package.

Bill of Lading or Air Waybill

The transport contract and the release instrument.

Import Registration Certificate

Held by the importer, required for commercial importing.

Certificate of origin

Where preferential treatment or origin verification applies.

Bond licence documentation

For export oriented manufacturers importing inputs under the bonded regime.

Pre shipment or quality certificates

Where required for the product category.

Controlled and restricted goods

What gets stopped, and why

Foreign exchange controls shape importing. The letter of credit requirement and access to currency are practical constraints, not just administrative steps.
Certain goods require prior permission from the relevant ministry, and the restricted list should be checked by product.
Food and pharmaceutical products face their own registration and testing requirements.
Used goods face restrictions across several categories.
Bonded imports are subject to strict audit, and diversion of duty free inputs into the domestic market is treated seriously.
Wood packaging must comply with ISPM 15.

Working with Velonex

What clients usually bring us in for on this lane

Sequencing the letter of credit before the shipment, since in Bangladesh the banking step drives the whole transaction rather than following it.
Supplying the garment industry with fabric, trim and machinery, where the bonded regime and the production deadline both shape how the movement has to work.
Planning realistically around Chattogram dwell times rather than promising a schedule the port cannot support.
Managing the transhipment leg, which is unavoidable given the draft limitations and is where most delay originates.
Urgent air shipments for production deadlines, where Dhaka capacity has to be secured rather than assumed.

Get a quote

Tell us what needs to move to Bangladesh

We listen before we quote. Share the cargo, the deadline and the constraint, and we will come back with a route that accounts for all three, the documents it will need and a timeline we can stand behind.

Your details

Includes your name, company name and email address

Shipment route

Includes your pickup location and destination

Cargo type

Includes the type of cargo you are shipping

Special requirements

Includes a short note about your challenge

Timeline

Includes your desired timeline

Your quote

A tailored response based on everything above

Corporate logistics partner

Trust, clarity and operational follow through for complex cargo.

Not ready for a quote? Email info@velonex-hk.com or message us on WhatsApp with the question and we will answer it.

Sources

Where this information comes from

General guidance, last reviewed August 2026. Customs rules and product requirements change, and the treatment of any specific shipment depends on its classification, origin and value. Confirm the detail with us or with the authority before you commit to a movement.

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