Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury has underscored the importance of stronger coordination between BIDA and the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure a seamless, secure, and investor-friendly environment for foreign professionals and investors in Bangladesh.

He was speaking at a high-level sensitization session on investment facilitation and security coordination held at BIDA’s Multipurpose Hall in Agargaon’s Biniyog Bhaban on Wednesday.

The event was organized by BIDA in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the TEPP-II project, with participation from senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Immigration & Passports, and relevant security agencies.

Our partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs has come a long way, as we share a joint responsibility to ensure a welcoming and enabling environment for foreigners who choose to invest and work in Bangladesh,” said Ashik.

He noted that a major portion of the work permit ecosystem — including BIDA’s work permit services and the Home Ministry’s security clearance process — has already been digitalized.

We are now actively working to digitalize the visa application process in partnership with the Department of Immigration,” he added.

Emphasizing the need for procedural harmony, he said, “It is critical that investors experience a seamless and harmonized process across institutions. When an investor applies for a work permit, there should be no unreasonable disparity between procedures at BIDA, BEZA, or any other investment promotion agency.”

Speaking on the occasion, Md. Delwar Hossain, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said the ministry has successfully shifted the entire security clearance process online in collaboration with BIDA.

We are now working to transition passport and related services to a fully digital platform as well,” he added.

Md. Ariful Haque, Director General of BIDA’s International Investment Promotion Wing, called on field-level officers to consistently share their on-ground experiences and challenges so that future policy decisions are better informed and service delivery continues to improve.

The online system for obtaining security clearance against new work permits issued by BIDA officially came into effect on 1 October 2025. Under the new system, foreign investors and expatriate employees must submit their applications for security clearance exclusively through BIDA’s One Stop Service (OSS) Portal.

Once the application and required documents are submitted, if no objections are raised within 21 working days, the clearance will be automatically deemed granted. However, failure to submit the application within the timeframe specified in the work permit will render the permit invalid.

BIDA continues to maintain regular coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs to simplify procedures, enhance transparency, and further improve Bangladesh’s investment service ecosystem.