NBR Moves Bonded Warehouse Utilisation Permissions Fully Online

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has brought all service activities related to Utilisation Permission (UP) for bonded warehouses fully online. To this end, the paper-based application and approval system has been completely discontinued with the introduction of the Customs Bond Management System (CBMS) software.

NBR Public Relations Officer Md Al Amin Sheikh said that UPs are now being issued entirely online through the country’s three customs bond commissionerates under the NBR.

According to NBR sources, the automated CBMS software was launched on January 1 last year with the aim of providing modern and digital services to bonded warehouse licence holders. Through the system, bonded warehouse beneficiary companies can now obtain UPs online from the respective customs bond commissionerates in line with approved policies of the Duty Exemption and Drawback Office, enabling duty-free import of raw materials.

Stakeholders said that with the introduction of online UP issuance, industrial enterprises no longer need to submit paper-based applications or physically visit customs bond commissionerates. As a result, time, costs and administrative complications have been significantly reduced. CBMS is a modern, technology-driven and automated system through which UP applications, verification and approvals are conducted entirely online. This is expected to enhance speed, transparency and accountability in service delivery while reducing person-dependent intervention.

They added that the launch of online UP services through CBMS will particularly benefit bonded warehouse beneficiary industries, especially export-oriented sectors. This, in turn, will help energise the country’s export trade and strengthen a more investment-friendly business environment.

Explaining the process, Md Al Amin Sheikh said that Utilisation Permission is a customs document essential for export-oriented industries, allowing them to produce and export goods using imported raw materials. It is mainly used by bonded warehouse beneficiary enterprises. UPs are issued against specific export orders, detailing the quantity, value and HS codes of raw materials, and are obtained from customs authorities or relevant bodies such as the Export Promotion Bureau, BGMEA or BKMEA.

“Previously, UPs were issued through paper-based processes. From January 1, this service has gone fully online,” he said. “As a result, UP-related services will become faster and more transparent, manual submission of documents at bond commissionerates will be eliminated, the application process will be simpler, cost-effective and business-friendly, and data management, monitoring and audit activities in customs bond administration will be strengthened. Moreover, disputes and litigation related to bonded warehouses are expected to decline significantly.”

DBTech/GNO/EK/OR