Govt plans unified online portal for trade licences

The government plans to issue trade licences through a single online portal and introduce a joint inspection system involving multiple agencies to ease business operations and reduce costs.

It has also identified five priority areas to eliminate delays and duplication among agencies involved in business and investment-related approvals, permits and licences, according to a statement from the commerce ministry.

Trade licences are currently issued through separate systems by union parishads, municipalities and city corporations. An initiative is underway to bring the process under a unified online platform, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir said.

Once the portal becomes operational, business owners will be able to log in, upload documents, pay the prescribed fees and obtain their trade licences from home, he said at the first meeting of the National Task Force on Deregulation and Business Facilitation at the Ministry of Finance.

In August, the government formed the task force, comprising representatives of leading trade bodies, to improve the business climate and attract investment.

The 21-member task force, headed by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, was formed in line with the government’s commitment, outlined in the budget speech for fiscal year 2026-27 in June, to cut red tape, reduce compliance costs and boost business competitiveness ahead of Bangladesh’s graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category.

At the meeting, chaired by Khosru, Muktadir said the government was considering extending the validity of trade licences and renaming the document as a “Business Registration Certificate” or a similar title to simplify the process and reduce administrative delays.

To address the hassles caused by separate inspections by different agencies, the government is also considering a joint inspection system. Under the proposed arrangement, relevant agencies would conduct inspections on building safety, fire safety and environmental standards on the same day, eliminating repeated visits.

Invest Bangladesh would lead the joint inspection drives under the plan.

Muktadir also highlighted complications faced by foreign employees in obtaining security clearance renewals, describing them as “unacceptable”. He noted that foreign workers are employed by legitimate institutions that regularly pay taxes.

He urged effective measures and coordination with the Home Ministry to make work permit and security clearance renewals simpler, more transparent and more efficient.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman, Invest Bangladesh Chairman Ashik Chowdhury and senior officials also attended the meeting.