Bangladesh and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Legalisation; the Netherlands objected to the apostille accession of Bangladesh
- First stop
- Bangladesh issues apostilles, but the Netherlands refuses them
- Language
- English, accepted as it is
- Register
- Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC) (online)
- Tax treaty
- Signed 1993, in force 1994; new treaty signed 2024 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- EU tariff and preference schemes
- Moving here
- Residence permit needed
Documents from Bangladesh
Passport copy, certified by a notary in Bangladesh.
Proof of address in Bangladesh, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before a Bangladeshi notary public. Have it attested by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. Then have it legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
Legalisation. Bangladesh issues apostilles, but the Netherlands refuses them. For use in the Netherlands, the document is first notarised. Then the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs attests it. After that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalises it. This process is called legalisation. Bangla documents need a sworn translation.
Official page: https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/legalisation/foreign-documents/bangladesh
Good to know. Ask for legalisation in place of the e-apostille, because a Bangladeshi apostille is refused in the Netherlands. People often skip the Ministry of Law step.
If a company from Bangladesh becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC). Order certified copies of the certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles, and the latest schedule of directors and shareholders (Schedule X). Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between Bangladesh and the EU
The European Union (EU) was Bangladesh's largest trading partner in 2025, with 21.5% of the country's goods trade with the world. Trade in goods between the two reached €23.3 billion in 2025, and Bangladesh ranked 35th among the EU's trading partners.
Textiles made up almost 94% of EU imports from Bangladesh in 2025. EU exports to Bangladesh consist mainly of machinery and appliances and chemical products. In 2024, trade in services reached €1.5 billion, and the EU's stock of foreign direct investment in Bangladesh amounted to €2.5 billion.
As a least developed country, Bangladesh uses the EU's Everything But Arms arrangement: duty-free, quota-free access for all exports except arms and ammunition. Bangladesh is the largest beneficiary of this arrangement. In 2024, €19 billion of its exports received these preferences, with a utilisation rate of 96%.
Relations rest on the EU-Bangladesh Cooperation Agreement, concluded in 2001. Both sides are negotiating a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Sources: European Commission [1].
Your next step from Bangladesh
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