For bringing foreign currency into Bangladesh, an NRB (non-resident Bangladeshi) can carry any amount of foreign cash. Bangladesh Bank's current FMJ form, attached to its FE Circular No. 08 of 11 February 2020, says no declaration is needed up to US$ 10,000 or equivalent. Above that, the amount is declared to Customs on the FMJ form on arrival. The NRB difference is timing: residents must encash or deposit the excess within 30 days, while amounts brought in by non-resident Bangladeshis "can be encashed or deposited in foreign currency account any time after return to Bangladesh."
This is general information about Bangladesh's rules, not financial or legal advice, and it does not promise how any officer or bank will treat a particular case. The limits quoted here come from Bangladesh Bank and airport pages read on 27 September 2026. Confirm them with your bank or with Bangladesh Customs before you travel.
The Rule in One Table
| Question | What the official source says | Source, read 27 Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a maximum amount of foreign currency I can bring in? | "Any amount of foreign currency may be brought in by an incoming passenger with declaration" | Bangladesh Bank FMJ form, 2020 |
| When do I declare? | "No declaration, however, is necessary for amounts brought in upto US$ 10,000 (ten thousand) or equivalent" | Bangladesh Bank FMJ form, 2020 |
| What if I bring in more than US$ 10,000 as an NRB? | It "can be encashed or deposited in foreign currency account any time after return to Bangladesh" | Bangladesh Bank FMJ form, 2020 |
| What if I am a resident Bangladeshi? | The excess "should, however, be encashed or deposited in appropriate foreign currency account within 30 (thirty) days of arrival" | Bangladesh Bank FMJ form, 2020 |
| How much Bangladeshi taka can I carry? | "upto Taka 10,000 (Ten thousand) in Bangladesh currency at the time of arrival into/departure from Bangladesh" | Bangladesh Bank FMJ form, 2020 |
| Where is cash changed? | "with licenced Money Changers/Authorised Dealer bank branches" | Bangladesh Bank FMJ form, 2020 |
The primary document is Bangladesh Bank's FE Circular No. 08 dated 11 February 2020, titled "Amendment of FMJ Form." It refers to Notification No. FE-1/2020-BB and FE Circular No. 06, both dated 3 February 2020, under which incoming passengers were permitted to bring up to USD 10,000 without declaration. The "Information for Declarant" page attached to the form carries the rules quoted above.
The Customs page of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, read the same day, says the same thing in its own words: passengers "can bring any amount of foreign currency accompanied," and above USD 10,000 or equivalent "the FMJ form must be filled out and declared at customs."
Bringing Foreign Currency Into Bangladesh as an NRB: Why Residency Matters
The rules above split passengers into three groups: foreigners, resident Bangladeshis and non-resident Bangladeshis. Which group you fall into changes what happens after you clear the airport.
Bangladesh Bank's Guidelines for Foreign Exchange Transactions, in Chapter 13, set out a definition for the relevant notification: "the term 'residents in Bangladesh' excludes citizens of Bangladesh in foreign countries so long as they stay outside Bangladesh but includes foreign nationals who reside continuously in Bangladesh for six months or more."
For a family visit, that reading matters in two ways:
- An NRB visiting for a few weeks is not under the 30-day encashment clock that the form sets for residents with amounts above US$ 10,000. The FMJ form lets that money be encashed or deposited "any time after return."
- A person returning to settle in Bangladesh may be treated as resident. At that point, the 30-day rule for resident Bangladeshis is the one to ask your bank about.
Where you sit between those two is not something we can judge for you. A bank's foreign exchange desk, or Bangladesh Bank, can.
The FMJ Form: What Declaring Actually Involves
Declaring is a form, not a fee. The FMJ form, prescribed by Bangladesh Bank under Section 8(1) of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947, asks for your name, nationality, passport details, flight, address in Bangladesh, duration of stay abroad, profession and contact number. It then lists the "Cash and negotiable bearer instruments in foreign currency (drafts, pay orders, traveler's cheques etc) brought in," with the amount in figures and words.
According to the 2020 circular, the amended form has three sheets: "the original copy for Bangladesh Bank, the second copy for Customs Authority and the third copy for the concerned passenger." That third copy is the one that matters later, because it is your record of what was declared when a bank asks. Our guide to declaring foreign currency at Dhaka customs walks through the counter itself.
Note what the form covers: cash and bearer instruments such as traveler's cheques and drafts. Money sitting in a bank account abroad, reached with a card, is not carried cash.
The Account at This End: Foreign Currency Accounts for NRBs
The question most families ask next is "what about the account here?" Bangladesh Bank's Guidelines, Chapter 13, Section I, describe foreign currency accounts for non-resident Bangladeshis. As published in the Guidelines chapter on private foreign currency accounts, read on 27 September 2026:
- Bangladesh nationals working and earning abroad "may open foreign currency accounts even without initial deposits," and may operate them themselves or nominate someone in Bangladesh.
- The accounts can be in "Pound Sterling, US Dollar, Euro or Japanese Yen."
- Banks may credit these accounts with currency notes, traveler's cheques and drafts brought in "while on temporary visit to Bangladesh," provided amounts above the declaration threshold were declared on the FMJ form on arrival.
- "Foreign currency brought in by NRBs may be deposited to such FC accounts through bank booths operating in airports."
One detail is worth knowing before you reach the bank. That Guidelines chapter still states the older threshold of USD 5,000 in the FMJ condition, and in a separate paragraph on undeclared cash retained at hand. The 2020 circular and the amended form raised the no-declaration line to US$ 10,000. If a branch quotes the older figure, the 2020 circular and your passenger copy of the FMJ form are the documents that speak to it. Whether a particular bank's internal process has caught up is a question for that bank.
Taking It Back Out
Many NRBs bring cash in, spend some, and leave with the rest. The FMJ form addresses this directly: "Upto US$ 10,000 (ten thousand) brought in without declaration by a Bangladeshi may also be retained and taken out freely while proceeding abroad." For foreigners, including NRBs traveling on a foreign passport, it says "the entire amount brought in with declaration or upto US$ 10,000 (ten thousand) brought in without declaration may be taken out freely at the time of departure."
If you hold a Bangladeshi passport and are leaving with foreign currency, the departure side has its own paperwork. Our explainer on foreign currency endorsement in Bangladesh covers how that works.
Budgeting the Visit Without Guessing the Rate
The exchange rate between the dollar and the taka moves daily, and we do not predict it. What we can describe is a method for budgeting a visit that does not depend on a forecast.
- One reference rate, with its source and date. Bangladesh Bank's "Exchange Rate of Taka" page, checked on 27 September 2026, shows USD/BDT bid, ask and weighted average rates, which it describes as the "highest and lowest interbank exchange rates at Dhaka close on the previous business day." That is an interbank reference, not the price at a counter. Each scheduled bank also publishes its own rates, and the cash rate a bank or money changer offers can differ from both.
- A taka budget with a buffer. Many travelers estimate the visit in taka, convert at their dated reference rate, then add a margin for rate movement and conversion costs. The size of that margin is a personal choice.
- Card versus cash. With a card issued abroad, your home bank sets the conversion and may add its own fees. With cash, the counter sets the rate. Neither is always cheaper; the terms belong to each provider. Our guide to international debit cards explains how cards behave on the Bangladesh side.
- Licensed places only. The FMJ form states that encashment "should be done with licenced Money Changers/Authorised Dealer bank branches." How a licensed changer works is covered in our piece on dollar endorsement at a money changer.
Common Mistakes on Arrival
- Assuming there is a cap on foreign cash. There is not, according to the FMJ form. There is a declaration line.
- Splitting one person's cash across family members to stay under US$ 10,000. The declaration is personal to the passenger carrying the money. Arranging bags to avoid a declaration is the kind of thing that creates questions at the counter.
- Losing the passenger copy of the FMJ form. It is the link between the cash and any later bank deposit.
- Carrying large amounts of taka. The form's limit on Bangladeshi currency is Taka 10,000 per passenger, as stated in the 2020 form.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much foreign currency can an NRB bring into Bangladesh?
Any amount, according to Bangladesh Bank's FMJ form attached to FE Circular No. 08 of 11 February 2020. Amounts above US$ 10,000 or equivalent must be declared to Customs on the FMJ form on arrival.
Do NRBs have to deposit foreign currency within 30 days?
The 30-day rule on the FMJ form applies to resident Bangladeshis for amounts above US$ 10,000. For non-resident Bangladeshis, the form says such amounts "can be encashed or deposited in foreign currency account any time after return to Bangladesh." Whether you count as resident is a question for your bank.
Can I deposit the cash I bring into a foreign currency account in Bangladesh?
Bangladesh Bank's Guidelines allow NRB foreign currency accounts to be credited with cash brought in during a visit, subject to FMJ declaration above the threshold, and say NRBs may deposit through bank booths at airports. Each bank sets its own documentation.
How much Bangladeshi taka can I carry into Bangladesh?
Up to Taka 10,000 per passenger on arrival or departure, as stated on Bangladesh Bank's 2020 FMJ form. Confirm the current figure with your bank before traveling.
What exchange rate should I use for budgeting?
We do not recommend a rate. A dated reference rate from Bangladesh Bank's exchange rate page or from a named bank's own published rates, plus a buffer for movement and fees, is a method many travelers use. Rates change daily.