Do I need to register for VAT?

Bangladesh has three positions a shop can be in, and which one you are in is decided by your turnover over a year — what you sold, not what you earned.

• Below the turnover tax threshold — no VAT registration and no turnover tax, though you still need a trade licence and an e-TIN.
• Between the two thresholds — enlist for turnover tax, which is a small flat percentage of turnover instead of VAT.
• Above the VAT registration threshold — register for VAT, receive a BIN, charge VAT, and file a return every month.

The two threshold figures and the turnover tax rate are set by NBR and revised in the Finance Act most years. Rather than print numbers that go stale, check the current ones on nbr.gov.bd or ask your local VAT office — it is a five-minute question and they are used to it.

Registering

1. 1Go to vat.gov.bd, NBR’s own VAT portal, and open an account.
2. 2Fill in the eBIN application with your business details, trade licence number and e-TIN.
3. 3Submit it. The BIN — a 13-digit Business Identification Number — is issued online, usually without a visit.
4. 4Display the BIN certificate at your shop. It must be visible at the place of business.

A separate BIN is needed for each place of business in most cases, so a second branch is usually a second registration rather than an addition to the first.

This is a plain-language guide, not tax advice. VAT rates, thresholds and forms change with each year’s Finance Act. Confirm anything that affects what you pay with NBR (nbr.gov.bd), your local VAT office, or a VAT consultant before you act on it.