Before you start

Passport with a valid Bangladeshi visa
Physical presence at an operator's customer care centre for biometric capture
An unlocked handset
A Chattogram address, for fixed broadband

Step-by-step

1
Register at an operator's own customer care centre, not a small retailer
Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk all run proper centres, concentrated in Chattogram around Agrabad, GEC and Khulshi. Foreign passport registration is not something every corner shop can process, and going to the operator directly avoids a wasted trip.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Expect biometric capture and know the two-SIM passport ceiling
BTRC's framework caps registrations against a passport, driving licence or birth certificate at two, against a much higher figure for a Bangladeshi national ID. The commission has been tightening the NID ceiling too — from fifteen to ten, with a further reduction signalled — so confirm the current numbers at the counter rather than trusting any published figure.
In personWho: You
3
Set up bKash or Nagad immediately after the SIM
Mobile financial services are tied to the SIM and are how a very large part of Bangladesh pays for things — utility bills, merchants, transfers to household staff. Doing this in week one changes daily life more than the bank account does.
Mobile appWho: YouWeek 1–2
4
Buy data generously
Bangladeshi mobile data is inexpensive and 4G coverage across Chattogram city is good, though it thins quickly on the hill roads and outside the built-up area. For many residents the phone is the reliable connection and the fixed line is the backup.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Ask which fixed broadband provider serves the building, and confirm with them
Bangladesh's ISP market is fragmented and coverage is building-by-building. Get a named provider from the landlord and confirm directly, particularly if you work from home. A landlord's 'internet is available' means nothing without an operator name.
OnlineWho: YouBefore signing a lease
6
Plan for outages
Power supply has improved substantially but load shedding still occurs at summer peak demand. A UPS on the router and a charged mobile hotspot are standard equipment for anyone whose work depends on a connection — and in cyclone season they stop being an optional refinement.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with valid visa
Fingerprints, captured at the counter
Proof of Chattogram address, for fixed broadband

Things most newcomers don’t know

Two SIMs is the ceiling against a passport, and that applies to foreigners specifically.

BTRC's registration framework distinguishes by identity document: a Bangladeshi national ID card supports a substantial number of registrations, while a passport, driving licence or birth certificate supports no more than two. For a foreign resident without an NID, two is the practical limit. BTRC has also been reducing the NID ceiling, so treat any published number as needing confirmation at the counter. Anyone planning separate work, personal and data lines should know this before arriving.

Source: Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission

The SIM gates mobile money, and mobile money runs a large part of daily life here.

bKash and Nagad registration is tied to the mobile number and the identity document behind it. Utility bills, merchant payments, transfers to a driver or household staff and much of the informal economy run through them. That makes the SIM the first thing to sort on arrival — before the bank account, which takes longer and matters less for daily transactions.

Source: community-reported

In Chattogram, foreign registration is a downtown errand — the retailers cannot do it.

Biometric registration against a foreign passport needs an operator's own customer care centre, and in this city those are concentrated around Agrabad, GEC and Khulshi rather than distributed the way small retailers are. Someone living out toward the port or up in the hills who walks into a neighbourhood shop expecting to walk out connected will lose a day. Go to the operator's own centre, on the first trip.

Source: community-reported

Registration is biometric and there is no anonymous SIM.

BTRC runs a central biometric verification platform and SIMs are bound to an identity document at activation. Buying a pre-registered SIM from a shop means using a number registered to someone else, which is unlawful and a real problem if anything happens on that number — including, practically, that you cannot then register mobile financial services in your own name against it.

Source: Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming you can hold as many SIMs as a Bangladeshi colleague.
Trying to register a foreign passport at a neighbourhood retailer rather than an operator centre.
Buying a pre-registered SIM and then being unable to open bKash in your own name.
Signing a lease without a named broadband provider and confirmed capacity.
Running a home office with no UPS on the router in a cyclone-exposed city.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.