NBR moves to activate Bangladesh Single Window system

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has announced that certificates, licences and permits (CLP) issued manually by seven state agencies will no longer be accepted for duty assessment and customs clearance from February 1.

These documents must instead be submitted through the Bangladesh Single Window (BSW) system.

The announcement comes after the NBR earlier this month integrated seven of the 19 state agencies that issue CLP for exporters and importers into the BSW, an electronic gateway enabling businesses to submit documents for imports and exports and clear goods more efficiently.

The NBR said that businesses will be able to obtain CLP electronically by applying online. Firms must first register with the BSW using their Business Identification Numbers before accessing the CLP services.

Since there will be no human interaction, overall transparency and accountability in government activities will be ensured, the NBR said

"All CLP-related work will now be done online. Since there will be no human interaction, overall transparency and accountability in government activities will be ensured," the NBR said in a statement.

"Time and costs for imports and exports will be reduced. Trade and investment will grow due to improved confidence among local and foreign investors," it added.

The seven agencies now issuing CLP through the BSW are the Directorate General of Drug Administration, the Export Promotion Bureau, the Department of Explosives, the Bangladesh National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority, and the Department of Environment.

The government launched the BSW project in 2017 to provide an electronic, online solution for facilitating faster and more transparent international trade procedures. The initiative aims to expedite the clearance of international cargo and reduce the cost and time of doing business.

The approximately Tk 600 crore project has undergone several revisions since its inception.

The NBR has previously said that the electronic platform will benefit 319,000 Bangladeshi traders by cutting time and costs associated with trade processes.

The average processing time for imports is expected to decrease to 122 hours, while the average processing time for exports is projected to fall to 88 hours.