Before you start

Passport with a valid Bangladeshi visa
Work permit or NGO Affairs Bureau approval, which most banks will want to see
A Gazipur address and, usually, an introducer or employer letter
A Taxpayer's Identification Number for some products

Step-by-step

1
Use your employer's own bank, because in a factory town that relationship is unusually strong
Gazipur branches exist largely to serve the factories: payroll for thousands of workers, letters of credit, term lending. That means your employer's relationship with a particular branch is substantial and an introduction from it carries real weight. Ask HR which bank and which branch on day one rather than choosing on convenience.
Via employerWho: YouWeek 1
2
Open the taka account with the full document set
Passport, visa, work permit, employer letter, photographs, proof of address and the introducer's details. Bangladeshi KYC is thorough and a partial file becomes several visits. Ask the branch for its own checklist before the first trip.
In personWho: YouWeek 1–2
3
Consider a Dhaka branch for anything international
If your salary or savings move across borders, the depth of experience with foreign currency accounts and inward remittance documentation is greater in the capital's branches than in an industrial-town one. Many foreign residents here keep the day-to-day account locally and the foreign currency account with a Dhaka branch of the same bank.
In personWho: You
4
Check the NFCD minimum for your category before assuming eligibility
Non-Resident Foreign Currency Deposit accounts allow free repatriation of balance and accrued interest, but the minimum deposit differs sharply: substantially lower for individual non-resident Bangladeshis than for foreign nationals and foreign-registered firms, where the published figure is USD 25,000 or equivalent. Confirm the current threshold at the branch.
In personWho: You
5
Get a bKash or Nagad account for daily life
Mobile financial services carry a great deal of everyday payment in Bangladesh, and in an industrial district with a largely cash-and-mobile-money economy they matter more than a card. Registration is tied to a SIM and an identity document, so the SIM comes first.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Keep the paperwork on every inward remittance
In an exchange-controlled economy the documentation of money entering is the basis for money leaving. Ask for the inward remittance advice on every substantial transfer and file it — it cannot be reconstructed later.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with valid visa
Work permit or NGO Affairs Bureau approval
Employer letter and introducer details
Proof of Gazipur address and photographs
Inward remittance advices, retained throughout

Things most newcomers don’t know

In a factory town the employer's banking relationship is unusually powerful — use it deliberately.

Gazipur's branches are built around industrial clients: payroll for thousands of workers, import letters of credit, working capital. A factory's relationship manager can open a door that a walk-in foreign national cannot, and the introducer convention that governs Bangladeshi account opening makes that decisive. Asking HR which branch, by name, on your first day converts a multi-visit process into a single one.

Source: community-reported

Keep the international side of your banking in Dhaka, even if you live here.

The rules are national, but the practice is not: foreign currency accounts, NFCD products and inward remittance documentation are routine work in the capital's larger branches and unusual in an industrial-town one. Splitting — a local account for daily life, a Dhaka branch of the same bank for anything crossing a border — is what most foreign residents here end up doing, and it is worth doing deliberately from the start rather than after a frustrating afternoon.

Source: community-reported

The NFCD minimum deposit for a foreign national is an order of magnitude above the non-resident Bangladeshi one.

NFCD accounts allow free repatriation of balance and accrued interest. But the published minimums differ by category: around USD 1,000 or GBP 500 for an individual non-resident Bangladeshi, against USD 25,000 or equivalent for foreign nationals, foreign-registered firms and institutional investors. People read the lower figure in a general guide and plan around it.

Source: Bangladesh Bank; authorised dealer banks

Exchange controls mean the exit conversation starts at the entrance.

Bangladesh regulates foreign exchange through authorised dealer banks, and the practical ability to repatriate funds later rests on how they entered and which account held them. Inward remittance advices are the documentary evidence and cannot be reconstructed after the fact. This is the most common regret among people finishing a posting in Bangladesh.

Source: Bangladesh Bank

Common mistakes to avoid

Choosing a branch on convenience rather than on your employer's relationship.
Trying to run foreign currency business through an industrial-town branch.
Assuming the non-resident Bangladeshi NFCD minimum applies to you as a foreign national.
Failing to request and keep inward remittance advices.
Closing accounts before obtaining the tax clearance certificate you need to leave.

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