FE Circular No. 33 dated August 14, 2025

Foreign Exchange Regulations regarding Import Transactions

Learning purpose: This portal is prepared for Authorized Dealer banks, trade operations, compliance, audit, learning teams and internal control review teams.

Item	Circular content
Issuer	Foreign Exchange Policy Department, Bangladesh Bank, Head Office, Dhaka.
Circular number and date	FE Circular No. 33, dated August 14, 2025.
Subject	Foreign Exchange Regulations regarding import transactions.
Regulatory basis	Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947; GFET-2018; subsequent circulars; Import Policy Order; and other relevant regulations.
Main purpose	To compile existing import transaction regulations in one place with necessary modifications.
Repeal effect	Instructions regarding import transactions in GFET-2018 Vol-1 and subsequent circulars are repealed by this circular, except monthly reporting instructions contained in GFET-2018 Vol-2.
Authority	Issued under section 20(3) of the FER Act, 1947.
Validity	Valid for one year from the date of issuance. Instructions issued within this period will be read with this circular.

Subsequent update layer: Green font highlights later-rule updates applied over the original FE Circular 33 learning text. This version shows: industrial raw material usance tenor updated from 180 days to 270 days; advance import without repayment guarantee updated from USD 10,000 to USD 20,000; ERQ-funded advance threshold USD 50,000; all-in-cost ceiling updated from benchmark +4.00% to benchmark +3.00%; BTB usance tenor updated to 270 days or cash conversion cycle, whichever is earlier.

Full Circular Map

Part-A: Import Trade

Part-B: LC and Remittances Against Imports

Part-C: Import under Contracts

Part-D: Imports on Supplier’s / Deferred / Buyer’s Credit

Part-E: Payment Behavior

Part-F: Software e-Delivery and Other Payments

Part-G: Back-to-Back LC

Part-H: Retention of Export Proceeds for Settlement of Import Payments

Part-I: Inland LC in Foreign Currencies – Operational Modalities

Part-J: Import Trade for Specialized Zones

Part-K: Import of Gold, Silver, Jewellery and Currency Notes

Part-L: Counterpart Fund Deposit for Non-Project Commodity Loans/Credits/Grants

Appendices 1–18

Subsequent Circular Updates Applied

Reading instruction: Green text indicates updated rule positions applied over FE Circular 33. Old FE33 values are shown with strike-through where relevant.

Area	Original FE33 position	Updated position shown in green	Reference note	Control point
Industrial raw material usance tenor	Industrial raw materials for own use up to 180 days	Updated to 270 days for industrial raw material imports for own use.	Subsequent Bangladesh Bank circular updating FE33 paragraph 35. Keep exact circular copy with bank policy file.	Participant should answer current position as 270 days and mention that FE33 base text was subsequently updated.
Advance import payment without repayment guarantee	USD 10,000	USD 20,000 for permissible advance imports; USD 50,000 for ERQ-funded advance import payments.	FE Circular No. 35 dated 23 September 2025.	Participant should distinguish normal advance threshold and ERQ-funded threshold while retaining undertaking, no-overdue-BOE, IPO, refund and reporting controls.
All-in-cost ceiling over benchmark rate	Benchmark rate + 4.00%	Benchmark rate + 3.00%.	Subsequent Bangladesh Bank circular updating FE33 paragraph 36. Keep exact circular copy with bank policy file.	Participant should calculate supplier’s/buyer’s credit pricing using 3.00% spread over benchmark rate.
Back-to-back LC usance tenor	Updated BTB usance rule	270 days or cash conversion cycle, whichever is earlier.	Subsequent Bangladesh Bank circular updating BTB usance tenor. Keep exact circular copy with bank policy file.	Participant should answer current position as 270 days or cash conversion cycle, whichever is earlier.

Audit note: This portal intentionally keeps the old FE33 value visible and marks subsequent updates in green for learning and rule-comparison.

Consolidated AD Bank Learning Checklist

Learning conclusion: FE Circular No. 33 is a consolidated operating framework covering importer eligibility, LC issuance, OIMS reporting, IMP/BOE lifecycle, advance payment, usance credit, overdue bill behavior, BTB LC, specialized zones, gold/currency rules and counterpart fund deposit obligations.

Quiz: FE Circular 33 Import Transactions

25 relevant MCQs based on this learning deck. Questions cover import eligibility, LC controls, OIMS, IMP/BOE, advance payment, supplier/buyer credit, updated BTB LC tenor, specialized zones, gold/currency rules and counterpart fund obligations.

Participant name:

Certificate of Completion

Enter participant name and submit quiz. Certificate shows score and correct/incorrect count.

Participant name:

Certificate of Completion

This certifies that

Participant Name

has completed the quiz on the session