Navigating the web portal

The web portal is easy to navigate. Menu options are clearly displayed. The following menus are available:

• Under the top banner (the Main Menu)
• Down the right-hand side of the portal page (the Side Menu)
• At the bottom of the page (the Bottom Menu)

Simply click on each option to navigate to the required page. These options are always available on every page of the website.

Throughout the web portal, you will find hyperlinks to other places on the web portal or to external websites. These are highlighted in blue and underlined. Click on these links to navigate to the related topic. If the link points to an external website, this will open in a separate web page.

Using shortcuts to navigate the web portal

If you want to go straight to a specific website page select the Site Map option on the Bottom Menu. The hierarchy of pages in the web portal is presented graphically and you can click directly on the link to the page you require.

Languages

There is only an English version of the web portal.

Public information and Member services

All the information on this web portal is freely available for public viewing. However, a user can register as a member in order to take advantage of certain value-added services. See Member Services to learn how to register.

Searching for information in the entire web portal

A search facility (Search this site) is available from every page of the web portal on the Side Menu.

You can type any keyword, part word, or combination of words to search the entire contents of this web portal. The results of the search will be displayed in a list and you will be able to click on each search result to hyperlink to the related topic. The search results are categorized as Legal Documents, Forms, Procedures, and measures available in the web portal.

If you want to search for more than one keyword, you must separate them with a comma. If you want to search for a phrase or a specific combination of keywords, you must enclose the words in quotation marks.

For example, if you enter the words: tea, coffee in the search box the system will look for all the documents where the words or part-words tea OR coffee appear. If, however, you search for "tea and coffee", the system will look for that specific combination of words.

On every page, you can search for specific words, phrases, or combinations of words by typing Ctrl+F and entering the words required in the search box. The system will highlight the words found in the entire page.

Announcements

The latest announcements are displayed on the Home page. You can see a full list of announcements by clicking on More >> or by clicking on the Announcements option on the Side Menu.

On the Announcements page, you have the option of searching for specific announcements by keyword, by category, and by range of dates. If you want to search by category, use the pull-down menu to choose the required category. Click on the required item to see more information about that announcement or on the PDF symbol to download it. The announcement will be downloaded as a PDF file in a new window and you can either print it or save it to your computer by right-clicking on it.

The results of the search will be displayed in a list. Click on the required item to expand it.

News

The latest news items are displayed on the Home page. You can see a full list of news items by clicking on More >> or by clicking on the News option on the Side Menu.

On the News page you have the option of searching for specific news items by keyword, by category and by range of dates. If you want to search by category, use the pull-down menu to choose the required category. Click on the required item to see more information about that news or on the PDF symbol to download it. The news will be downloaded as a PDF file in a new window and you can either print it or save it to your computer by right-clicking on it.

The results of the search will be displayed in a list. Click on the required item to expand it.

Publications

The Publications page allows you to look for online publications (e.g. newsletters, bulletins, brochures, etc.).

You have the option of searching for specific publications by keyword, by category and by range of dates. If you want to search by category, use the pull-down menu to choose the required category.

The results of the search will be displayed in a list. Click on the required item to see more information about that publication or on the PDF symbol to download it. The publication will be downloaded as a PDF file in a new window and you can either print it or save it to your computer by right-clicking on it.

Upcoming Events

A summary of any current upcoming events is displayed on the Home page in the Side Menu. You can see a full list of past and present events by clicking on See all events >>.

On the Events page you have the option of searching for specific past or present events by keyword, by category and by range of dates. If you want to search by category, use the pull-down menu to choose the required category.

The results of the search will be displayed in a list. Each event may have the PDF link on the right side of the table. Click if available to download it. Click on the required item to expand it.

Searching for legal

The website contains a full catalogue of all the legal texts relevant to trade. These could be laws, legal papers, regulations or other instruments that carry the force of law.

You can search for specific legal texts by selecting the Legal Documents menu on the Side Menu.

On this page you have the option of searching for specific legal texts by keyword, by category (e.g. imports, exports, SPS, etc.), by type (e.g. law, decision, etc.), by the agency responsible for administering that legal instrument and by range of dates. If you want to search by category, type and/or agency use the pull-down menus to choose the required options.

The results of the search will be displayed in a list. Click on the required item to expand it to see the full text or click on the PDF symbol to download a PDF copy. If you choose to download a PDF file this will be opened in a new window and you can either print it or save it to your computer by right-clicking on it.

Searching for Commodity related information

The website contains the full Harmonized Code (HS) classification of commodities used in Bangladesh.

By using the Commodity Search facility in the Side Menu you can look up the tariff/s applicable to each commodity, any specific measures applicable to that commodity (e.g. SPS, Technical Standards) and what special procedure, if any, is required to import or export that commodity.

The commodity classification conforms with the World Customs Organization (WCO) which is structured as follows:

On the Commodity Search page, you can look up a commodity by HS Code or by entering a keyword or combination of keywords or by both. Use the pull-down menu to select the type of search you require.

Searching for Procedures

If you want to find out what procedures are applicable in order to discharge various legal obligations in relation to trade, you can use the search facility by clicking on the Procedures option on the Side Menu.

On this page you have the option of searching for specific legal procedures by keyword or by category (e.g. import, export, transit, etc.). If you want to search by category, use the pull-down menu to choose the required option.

The results of the search will be displayed in a list. Click on the required item to expand it to see the full procedure. You have the options of:

• Viewing the full procedure together with the specific forms required to fulfill the procedure
• Viewing the full procedure together with a list of all the commodities that the procedure applies to

The procedure will be displayed as a graphic flowchart detailing every step required to discharge the procedure.

Searching for Forms

If you want to find out in what procedures or for what commodities a specific form is used, you can use the search facility by clicking on the Forms menu on the Side Menu.

On this page you have the option of searching for specific forms by keyword, by category (e.g. import, export, etc.), by agency responsible for issuing or processing the form, or by range of dates of validity of the form. If you want to search by category or agency, use the pull-down menus to choose the required option.

The results of the search will be displayed in a list. Click on the required item to expand it to see full information about that form or download it by clicking on the PDF icon.

When you click on the item to expand it, the system will display full information about the form together with a list of the procedures in which that form is used. You can expand each procedure in the list by clicking on either of the following options:

• Viewing the forms together with full procedures required to fulfill the procedure
• Viewing the forms together with a list of all the commodities that procedure applies to

Searching for Measures, Standards, Requirements

A measure is a prohibition, restriction, or special requirement applicable to the import or export of certain commodities. Typically these will be related to sanitary/phytosanitary requirements (covered by the WTO SPS Agreement) or requirements to conform to certain technical standards (covered by the WTO TBT Agreement).

If you want to find out what measures or standards are currently in force and which commodities they apply to, you can use the search facility by clicking on the Measures, Standards, Requirements menu on the Side Menu.

On this page you have the option of searching for specific measures or standards by keyword, by category (e.g. import, export, etc.), by agency responsible for issuing or processing the form, or by range of dates of validity. If you want to search by category or agency, use the pull-down menus to choose the required option.

The results of the search will be displayed in a list. Click on the required item to expand it to see full information about that form or download it by clicking on the PDF icon.

When you click on the item to expand it, the system will display full information about the form together with a list of the procedures in which that form is used. You can expand each procedure in the list by clicking on either of the following options:

• Viewing the full procedure together with all the forms required to fulfill the procedure
• Viewing the full procedure together with a list of all the commodities that that procedure applies to

How to download and print documents

Throughout the website you have the option of downloading documents or some of the content you are viewing. If you see the PDF symbol you can click on it and the document will appear in a new window. You can then either print it or save it to your computer by using the normal browser commands. Sometimes a document or content can be downloaded by clicking on a hyperlink.

In order to download documents, you must have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed. You can get the latest version of Adobe Reader by clicking here.

How to Contact us

If you want to submit a query to us, you can use the contact form on the Contact Us page by filling in the required fields or you can send an email directly to the email address.

After you have filled in the query fields, you must enter the verification code as displayed on the screen. The code is case sensitive. This is in order to prevent unauthorized spam mail generated by computer programs or robots.

FAQs

On the FAQ page, you will be able to see a list of the most frequently asked questions. The questions are grouped by various categories and links. You can select a specific category by using the pull-down menu.

How to send us your Feedback

We would appreciate it if, from time to time, you could give us your feedback about this web portal. The feedback helps us constantly improve the service we can provide to you. If you would like to send us a feedback, please fill in the form on the Feedback page and tick or enter all the required fields.

After you have filled in the fields on the form, you must enter the verification code as displayed on the screen. The code is case sensitive. This is in order to prevent unauthorized spam mail generated by computer programs or robots.