Bangladesh PI Investor Visa in 2026

Bangladesh's PI (Private Investor) visa is the core official category for a foreign investor going to Bangladesh to invest in or manage an eligible private-sector industrial/commercial enterprise, including qualifying joint ventures and 100%-foreign-owned companies.

Who qualifies?

Current Beijing mission guidance describes an investor in an existing, new, under-construction or upcoming industrial/commercial private-sector entity, under joint venture or 100% foreign ownership, entering for investment or management. The immigration application normally depends on a recommendation from BIDA, BEPZA or BEZA, depending on the project/location.

Company incorporation by itself does not grant immigration status. Likewise, holding a PI visa does not erase any separate work-permit requirement when the foreign investor personally performs work that falls within the work-authorization system.

Documents

Mission and BIDA materials typically point to:

  • passport and online MRV form;
  • photograph and post-specific residence/status evidence;
  • recommendation letter from BIDA/BEPZA/BEZA;
  • incorporation/project registration and investment records supporting the recommendation;
  • invitation/covering material where the mission requires it; and
  • fee evidence according to nationality and consular post.

The competent investment authority may request additional company, tax, remittance and management documents for its own recommendation/work-permit services.

No universal PI investment minimum is published here

Do not confuse BIDA's USD 50,000 inward-remittance encashment certificate requirement in specified commercial-office work-permit/establishment documentation with a universal minimum investment for every PI visa applicant. The PI mission pages reviewed describe the qualifying investor/company relationship and authority recommendation rather than publishing one universal PI threshold.

Work authorization

BIDA states that foreign investors and employees use PI or E2/E3 visa categories when applying for a work permit. Its work-permit checklist explicitly includes PI-type visa for investors. If you will actively work in or manage the enterprise, coordinate the PI and work-permit steps instead of treating the visa sticker as the whole authorization.

Validity and extension

Initial validity is post-dependent. Current Los Angeles guidance says a PI visa may be issued for up to one year with single, double or multiple entries and describes extension through DIP for up to five years. Because another mission can apply a different initial issuance practice, verify your competent post before booking travel or structuring residence assumptions.

Family members

FPI is a published dependant category for family members of PI holders. Current Los Angeles guidance requires relationship evidence and says paid or unpaid employment in Bangladesh is prohibited for FPI holders. See the full family/dependant guide.

Investor NVR is a separate concept

Current Washington mission guidance separately says a foreign citizen with investment in Bangladesh worth USD 5 million can be eligible for an NVR endorsement when supported by a BIDA/BEPZA/BEZA document. That is an NVR eligibility rule, not the minimum for ordinary PI status. See No Visa Required (NVR).

Permanent residence and citizenship

The Ministry of Home Affairs currently identifies citizenship as an investor and permanent-residence-rights certificates among services handled by its Security and Immigration function. The public page reviewed does not provide a complete current operational threshold/process. Do not rely on old investment-promotion figures as a guaranteed citizenship-by-investment product; verify the current rules directly with MoHA.

Frequently asked questions

Can a 100%-foreign-owned company support PI status?

Current official PI guidance expressly includes eligible 100%-foreign-owned private-sector entities, subject to the authority recommendation and sector/company rules.

Does USD 50,000 buy a PI visa?

No. That amount appears in specified BIDA company-establishment/work-permit documentation and should not be marketed as a universal PI threshold.

Can my spouse work on FPI?

Current published mission guidance says FPI holders cannot take paid or unpaid employment.

Related guides

Read the Bangladesh employment/work-permit guide, business visa, country hub, Entrepreneur visa taxonomy and Asia guides.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Bangladesh