New policy allows motorcycle imports of up to 375cc

The government has permitted the import of motorcycles with engine capacities of up to 375cc. The previous restriction on importing higher-capacity bikes has been lifted to set this new engine capacity limit.

The gazette for the 'Import Policy Order 2026-2029' was published by the Ministry of Commerce on Monday, August 24 . The previous import policy (2021-2024) had imposed strict restrictions on importing fully assembled motorcycles exceeding 165cc .

With this new decision, medium and high-performance motorcycles from various renowned international brands can now be directly imported into Bangladesh. However, according to stakeholders, this opportunity to import higher-capacity motorcycles may expose the domestic motorcycle assembly and manufacturing industry to new competition .

The new import policy has introduced several other significant reforms to bring dynamism to international trade. From now on, importers of industrial and commercial establishments will be able to import goods through direct sales or purchase contracts without any specific value limit, in addition to letters of credit (LCs) . Furthermore, the new order includes provisions for establishing free trade zones and central bonded warehouses in the country .

The Import Policy Order 2026-2029 has expanded special import facilities for expatriate Bangladeshis investing in the country, while also significantly broadening the scope for importing raw materials for various export-oriented industries compared to before .

It may be noted that while the previous import policy allowed contract-based imports without LCs, there were specific limits and conditions for various products and sectors. By removing those limits, the new policy has greatly simplified the import process in line with international trade practices .