Bangladeshis can bring up to eight mobile phones as BTRC eases rules

A Bangladesh national can bring up to eight mobile handsets from abroad, two of them tax-free, beginning Jan 1.

They can bring only five now.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission or BTRC has raised the ceiling to ease the process of bringing handsets from abroad for private use.

BTRC Director Lt Col Sufi Mohammad Moinuddin has sent a letter on the changes of the rules to the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate or CIID director general.

BTRC Secretary Sarwar Alam told bdnews24.com on Thursday the commission sent the letter after a recent meeting cleared the decision.  

Every passenger travelling into Bangladesh can bring eight handsets, including two tax-free ones, against his or her boarding pass or other travel documents.

They will have to pay the duty as per rule for the other mobile phones.

In order to bring more than eight handsets, the importer will have to collect vendor enlistment certificate from the BTRC and release the handsets within a year of the import. 

According to the BTRC, Bangladesh imports 30 million mobile phone handsets annually.

Mobile phone traders allege that one in every three handsets is imported illegally, causing the government around Tk 100 billion in lost revenue.