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Bangladeshi workers: here's what the BMET smart card checklist actually involves before you fly

Visa guide · 2026-10-10 · 7 min read

Before any Bangladeshi worker can legally leave for a job abroad, BMET's emigration clearance, the smart card, has to be in hand, and leaving through anywhere other than one of the three international airports is a punishable offence. Here is the actual process: where you register, what the compulsory training involves, what clearance costs, and what happens at the airport desk on the way out.

Step 1: register at your District Employment and Manpower Office

Under section 19(1) of the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013, everyone who wants to migrate for work must register with BMET, stating their occupation. In practice this means registering and giving fingerprints at your own or the nearest District Employment and Manpower Office (DEMO); BMET runs 64 of these, one in each district. BMET is direct about one thing: registration and fingerprinting does not by itself get you abroad, it is simply the first official step.

The full journey, from registration to the airport

BMET's Overseas Employment Platform lays out the official steps in order:

1. Register with BMET by verifying your NID at your DEMO.
2. Get skills training at a Technical Training Centre (TTC) or an Institute of Marine Technology (IMT), if relevant to your trade.
3. Attend the compulsory Pre-departure Orientation (PDO).
4. Get your medical records and your visa organised.
5. Apply for emigration clearance.
6. Download your Emigration Clearance (EC) card.
7. Arrive at the airport with your EC card and air ticket.

Pre-departure Orientation: the compulsory 3-day training

BMET's citizen charter says outgoing workers take a compulsory 3-day pre-departure training at its training institutes. This orientation is run by Technical Training Centres and District Employment and Manpower Offices around the country, so you do not need to travel to Dhaka specifically to complete it.

What emigration clearance actually costs

BMET's citizen charter says clearance itself is given within 3 working days once a complete application is in.

The paperwork differs: your own visa versus an agency

If you arranged your own visa directly, BMET's citizen charter says you get emigration clearance from BMET's emigration branch (or the Chattogram DEMO) by submitting an application, a copy of your visa, your employment contract if you have one, an attested copy of your worker registration, an undertaking on a Tk 300 non-judicial stamp, and the original pay order for the welfare and insurance fee, plus a Tk 250 smart certificate fee. If you are going through a recruiting agency instead, the agency submits its own application, a copy of the visa, an attested copy of the employment contract where applicable, an attested copy of your registration, the agency's undertaking on a Tk 300 non-judicial stamp about the job, the original pay order for the welfare and smart card fee, and the original challan for the source income tax.

Insurance is compulsory, not optional

Insurance has been compulsory for Bangladeshi workers going abroad since 19 December 2019. This sits alongside, not instead of, the welfare fee and insurance premium charged at emigration clearance.

Only three airports, and the rule is strict

BMET says workers must go abroad legally with BMET emigration clearance, the smart card, and that leaving by sea or by any route other than the 3 international airports (Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet) is a punishable offence. The law backs this up firmly: under section 34 of the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013, arranging or helping someone leave Bangladesh through a place other than an approved departure point is punishable by rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of at least 5 lakh Taka.

The airport desk check

BMET's citizen charter says the Probashi Kallyan Desks at the airports check the BMET smart card of workers leaving on employment visas. The Wage Earners' Welfare Board runs these desks at the Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet airports, helping departing and returning workers with immigration, customs, airline and boarding steps at no cost to the worker. The same desks give women workers who return within 1 year after being abused or cheated abroad Tk 5,000 in cash, a protection worth knowing about even if you never need it.

The law behind the process

These steps are not just BMET procedure; they sit on top of the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013. Registering your occupation with BMET before migrating is a legal requirement under section 19(1), and the emigration clearance itself, the seal and electronic card with your fingerprints and biometric data, is provided for under section 20 of the same Act. Knowing that the smart card has this legal backing is one reason the airport check and the three-airport rule are taken so seriously.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming registering and giving fingerprints at a DEMO is itself enough to get you abroad.
• Leaving the compulsory Pre-departure Orientation until the last minute, when it takes 3 full days.
• Mixing up the documents needed for a self-arranged visa versus an agency-arranged one.
• Not budgeting separately for the welfare fee, the emigration clearance fee and the source income tax.
• Considering any departure route other than Dhaka, Chattogram or Sylhet airport, which carries serious criminal penalties.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I register before going abroad for work?

At your own or the nearest District Employment and Manpower Office (DEMO); BMET runs 64 of these, one in each district, where you register and give fingerprints.

How long does the Pre-departure Orientation take?

It is a compulsory 3-day training at BMET's training institutes, run by Technical Training Centres and District Employment and Manpower Offices around the country.

How much does emigration clearance cost?

The welfare fee and insurance premium together come to Tk 4500, plus a Tk 250 emigration clearance fee, with clearance given within 3 working days of a complete application.

What documents do I need if I arranged my own visa?

An application, a copy of your visa, your employment contract if you have one, an attested copy of your worker registration, an undertaking on a Tk 300 stamp, the original pay order for the welfare and insurance fee, and a Tk 250 smart certificate fee.

Which airports can I legally leave from?

Only the three international airports: Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet. Leaving by sea or any other route is a punishable offence under the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013.

What happens at the airport before I board?

The Probashi Kallyan Desks at the airport check your BMET smart card and help with immigration, customs, airline and boarding steps, at no cost to the worker.

Key takeaways

• Registration starts at your district's DEMO (64 across Bangladesh), but it does not by itself get you abroad.
• The official path runs registration, training, Pre-departure Orientation, medicals and visa, emigration clearance, then the EC card.
• Emigration clearance costs around Tk 4500 in welfare and insurance fees plus a Tk 250 clearance fee, and is issued within 3 working days.
• Self-arranged and agency-arranged visas need different supporting documents for clearance.
• You can only leave legally through Dhaka, Chattogram or Sylhet airport, where the Probashi Kallyan Desk checks your smart card.

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#bmet smart card #emigration clearance #bmet registration #probashi #bangladesh overseas employment