The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has issued nearly 25,000 Utilization Permissions (UPs) online through the Customs Bond Management System (CBMS) over the last two and a half months as part of its efforts to automate bonded warehouse services and enhance trade facilitation.
According to an NBR press release issued on Tuesday, the revenue authority introduced the automated software Customs Bond Management System (CBMS) on January 1, 2025, to provide all services online to bonded warehouse license-holding institutions.
Through this system, bonded warehouse beneficiary institutions are receiving Utilization Permission (UP) online from the respective Customs Bond Commissionerates based on approved input-output coefficients set by the Duty Exemption and Drawback Office (DEDO) for duty-free imported raw materials.
To facilitate online verification of import and export-related documents, the CBMS software has been integrated with the Bangladesh Bank's online system through an Application Programming Interface (API), the release said.
As a result of the online UP issuance system, bonded warehouse license-holding industrial institutions no longer need to physically visit Customs Bond Commissionerates to obtain permissions.
The NBR has already achieved significant progress in providing all UP issuance services online through CBMS. Since making the use of CBMS mandatory for all UP issuance services from January 1, 2026, all Utilization Permissions are being issued online through three Customs Bond Commissionerates under the NBR.
From January 01 to March 16, 2026, a total of 24,963 UPs have been issued online through the three Customs Bond Commissionerates, the release added.
To make online UP services more user-friendly and seamless, the NBR is working closely with all stakeholders, including bonded warehouse license-holding institutions, Bangladesh Bank, Duty Exemption and Drawback Office (DEDO), and the e-UD systems of BGMEA and BKMEA.
The NBR believes that online UP services through CBMS are saving significant time and costs for bonded warehouse beneficiary industries, which is contributing to the dynamism of export trade and creating a more favorable investment environment in the country.
As part of efforts to modernize customs administration and ensure transparency and efficiency, the NBR is committed to gradually bringing all bonded warehouse management services, including bond audits, under full automation to strengthen trade facilitation activities.
