Carrying gold bars now permitted for returning migrants

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has revised its baggage rules to make them more traveler-friendly, allowing expatriates to bring gold bars under certain conditions.

The updated regulations, formally titled “Baggage Rules for Non-Tourist Passengers, 2025,” were issued on June 2 and came into effect Wednesday (July 2), according to an NBR press release.

NBR spokesperson Al-Amin Sheikh said the revisions aim to make existing baggage rules more effective and passenger-friendly. Feedback from various stakeholders and field offices was taken into account, leading to expanded facilities for Bangladeshi expatriates.

Under the new rules, travelers can now bring one new mobile phone per year duty-free, compared to the previous requirement to pay customs duties.

Meanwhile, Bangladeshi expatriates who hold a BMET card issued by the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training and have stayed abroad for at least six months can bring in two new mobile phones per year without paying any duties.

For gold and silver, the updated policy allows a traveler to bring up to 100 grams of gold jewelry or 200 grams of silver jewelry once per calendar year, duty-free, either in a single trip or cumulatively across multiple trips. Additionally, travelers can bring in one gold bar weighing up to 10 tolas (approximately 116 grams) per year by paying a duty of 5,000 taka per tola.

Another key change is that all arriving passengers can now submit their baggage declarations online. However, to prevent misuse of these benefits, filing the declaration before leaving the customs area has been made mandatory.

Apart from these adjustments, other existing baggage-related facilities remain unchanged. The NBR said the measures are intended to support expatriates while strengthening monitoring to curb abuse of baggage privileges.