Before you start

Passport with a valid Bangladeshi visa
Work permit, NGO Affairs Bureau approval or university appointment letter
A Rajshahi address and, usually, an introducer or employer letter
A Taxpayer's Identification Number for some products

Step-by-step

1
Get an introduction from your university or organisation, by named branch
Bangladeshi banks operate an introducer convention and an institutional letter carries substantial weight. The University of Rajshahi, RUET and the larger NGOs all bank with particular branches and their letters open the door. In a city where a foreign-national KYC file is genuinely unusual, going to a branch that has done one before turns several visits into one.
Via employerWho: YouWeek 1
2
Open the taka account with the full document set
Passport, visa, work permit or appointment letter, employer letter, photographs, proof of address and the introducer's details. Bangladeshi KYC is thorough and a partial file becomes several trips. Ask the branch for its own checklist before the first visit.
In personWho: YouWeek 1–2
3
Consider keeping the foreign currency side with a Dhaka branch
Foreign currency accounts, NFCD products and inward remittance documentation are routine work in the capital's larger branches and unusual in a Rajshahi one. Many foreign residents here run a local account for daily life and a Dhaka branch of the same bank for anything that crosses a border.
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, and in a smaller city where card acceptance is thin they matter more than the bank account does. Rickshaw fares, utility bills, small merchants and household staff all run through them. Registration is tied to a SIM and an identity document.
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, and a smaller branch is less likely to produce one unprompted.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with valid visa
Work permit, Bureau approval or university appointment letter
Institutional letter and introducer details
Proof of Rajshahi address and photographs
Inward remittance advices, retained throughout

Things most newcomers don’t know

The university letter is the most valuable document you have here.

Rajshahi's banks serve an academic, agricultural and public-sector economy, and the introducer convention that governs Bangladeshi account opening means an institutional letter from the University of Rajshahi, RUET or a registered NGO does more than any other piece of paper. In Dhaka an employer letter is helpful; in a city where a foreign-national file is a genuine novelty it is close to decisive. Ask which branch your institution uses and go there.

Source: community-reported

Split your banking: local for daily life, Dhaka for anything crossing a border.

The rules are national but the practice is not. Foreign currency accounts, NFCD products and inward remittance documentation are handled routinely in the capital's larger branches and rarely in a divisional-city branch. Most foreign residents here end up splitting rather than fighting it, and doing that deliberately from the start saves a lot of frustration — the alternative is discovering it during a transfer that matters.

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

Walking into the nearest branch rather than the one your institution banks with.
Trying to run foreign currency business through a divisional-city 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.