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The government has issued the country's first-ever shipping agent licensing rules, marking a significant step towards streamlining the operations of shipping agents across the nation.
Under the new guidelines, agents who obtain licences from any river port or seaport customs station will now be able to carry out their business at any ports in the country.
Previously, the shipping agents were given licences under the customs agent rules, thereby creating various complications for them as both the business of customs and forwarding (C&F) agents and the shipping business were operated under a single policy.
The newly enacted independent rules are expected to ease the problems facing the shipping agents for long, say industry insiders.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued the new rules on December 30, 2025, through a gazette notification.
"The Shipping Agent Licensing Rules 2025 have been enacted to make shipping agent-related activities easier and time-befitting," the NBR said in a press release on Friday.
From now on, customs stations will not need to take prior approval from the NBR to determine the number of licences to be given at each station to the shipping agents. Thus, the authority will be able to provide shipping agent licences faster, says the press release.
Unlike in the past, the applicants will not have to sit for written and verbal tests to get a shipping agent licence. From now on, if the documents submitted with the application are found to be accurate, licences will be given in 30 working days.
A shipping agent, who has obtained licence from any customs house, will now be able to conduct businesses in any river or seaports in the country. Earlier, they were not allowed to conduct businesses in river or seaports which are not under the customs stations from where they were issued licence.
Muntasir Rubayat, a former director of Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association (BSAA), hailed the introduction of the independent licensing rules for shipping agencies, which he thinks will facilitate their business operations.
He said the past leadership of BSAA worked closely with the NBR for the preparation of the rules, which allow agents to conduct activities in any river or seaport of the country.
The removal of the provision of written and verbal exams is "a very good step", he said.
"Getting new licences and their renewal have been made easier. It's a very pleasant development for us," said Mr Rubayat.
syful-islam@outlook.com