NGO and INGO Registration Procedure in Bangladesh
In order to have NGO and INGO registered in Bangladesh or
an entity willing to operate or receive foreign funding for the purpose
of undertaking or carrying any voluntary activity shall first have to
register it with the concerned authority and follow Government’s
specifications. As per the laws of Bangladesh, the term “voluntary
activity” can be explicated as “an activity undertaken or carried on
(partially or entirely with external assistance) by any
person or organization of his or its own free will to render
agricultural, relief, missionary, educational, cultural, vocational,
social, welfare and developmental services, and shall include any such
activity as the Government may, from time to time, specify to be a
voluntary activity.” Any entity whose activities fall within the ambit
of the definition mentioned above; thus, it is imperative that such
entity is registered to carry out its operation in Bangladesh.
In order to register an International Non-Government
Organization (INGO) or local based Non-Government Organization (NGO), an
application needs to be filed with the concerned authority. The NGO
Affairs Bureau (NGOAB) (which is under the Ministry of Social Welfare of
Bangladesh) and the Ministry of Home Affairs shall be the relevant
authorities in Bangladesh in this regard. However, for example the
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare or Ministry of Disaster
Management and Relief or any other relevant authority which administers
the entity’s activity shall also play a vital role.
NGO and INGO Registration in Bangladesh
Firstly, registration of the INGO or NGO must be taken by
the entity from the concerned authority that is NGOAB. Application in
prescribed form is to be made to the NGOAB along with making payment of
the requisite fee and all relevant documents such as activity report,
letter of intent, constitution, copy of Treasury Challan with regard to
the payment of the registration fees etc.
Upon submission of the application to the NGOAB, it shall
be forwarded to the Ministry of Social-Welfare and also to the Ministry
of Home Affairs for review and inspection of the documents submitted.
After receiving the documents, the concerned Ministries shall appoint
the Special Branch of Police and National Security Intelligence to
conduct a security check on the applicant and upon such scrutiny issue a
as clearance addressing the Ministry of Home Affairs, provided the
appointed bodies are satisfied with their inquires. Once the clearance
is given to the NGOAB it shall proceed with their review and final
scrutiny of the documents.
While considering the application the Ministry shall take
into account factors such as: the entity which applied for registration
was involved in anti-state/ anti-social activities or any other criminal
activity, introduction of members of the applicants organization,
mutual relationship and social stature, previous experiences of the
entity in relation to social welfare activities, and details on whether
entity which applied has its own office. By considering the
abovementioned criterion, the relevant authorities shall decide whether
to approve the application or not. However, if the application is
approved, the applicant shall be provided with a letter of registration
to operate in Bangladesh.
It is officially stated that the entire procedure for
registration usually takes 90 working days to complete. However, in
practice the entire procedure may take 6 months to complete.
