Bangladesh

Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking illegal drugs in Bangladesh are particularly severe, including long jail, heavy fines, or death, with mandatory jail even for small amounts.

Death penalty possible; mandatory jail even for small amounts.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

Cannabis is illegal in Bangladesh, and the form matters enormously. Herbal cannabis (ganja) is a Class B narcotic: possessing up to 5 kg carries six months to five years in prison plus a fine, with a ceiling of ten years at the highest weight. Smoking or otherwise using it is a separate, lighter offence of three months to two years. Hashish, charas and cannabis oil are Class A alongside heroin and cocaine, where the top band carries death or life imprisonment. The law also reaches the people around the drugs: knowingly letting your home, land, business, vehicle or even your money be used for a drug offence carries up to five years, and if a drug is consumed - or drug-making equipment is found - in any place you possess or control, you are deemed to have broken the Act unless you prove otherwise.

Herbal cannabis - up to 5 kg: 6 months to 5 years plus a fine; 5-15 kg: 5 to 7 years; over 15 kg: 7 to 10 years. Growing up to 50 plants: 1 to 5 years. Using cannabis: 3 months to 2 years plus a fine. Hashish, charas and cannabis oil are Class A, where the highest band carries death or life imprisonment. A second offence draws double the maximum; a third carries a minimum of 20 years. Knowingly allowing a house, land, business premises, vehicle, machinery, equipment, money or property you own or possess to be used for a drug offence: up to 5 years plus a fine (s. 38). Equipment, wash or materials usable for producing narcotics found with an unlicensed person or in any place he possesses: 2 to 10 years plus a fine (s. 37). Instigating, aiding, conspiring in or attempting a drug offence carries the same penalty as the offence itself, whether or not the offence is actually committed (s. 41). Obstructing or failing to cooperate with a narcotics enforcement officer is treated as assisting the offence: 2 to 10 years plus a fine (s. 42(2)).

Verified Sep 16, 2026

Bangladesh has no prohibitions on specific medications, but carry prescription medication in original packaging with your prescription; counterfeit medication exists, so buy from major pharmacies and hospitals.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

It is a serious crime to bring weapons into Bangladesh — including guns, ammunition, swords, knives, fireworks, and explosives.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

You must declare US$5,000 or more when entering Bangladesh; on exit you must declare US$7,000 or more in foreign currency and 5,000 or more Bangladeshi taka.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

All drones are highly regulated in Bangladesh and subject to import and flight restrictions; failing to get import/flight permission can mean detention, arrest, and confiscation.

Detention, arrest, and confiscation possible.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

Alcohol is strictly regulated in Bangladesh: foreign visitors and non-Muslim citizens over 21 may drink only in licensed venues and may need a liquor permit; alcohol is banned for Muslims.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

Do not bring e-cigarettes or vaping devices into Bangladesh — the US embassy lists them alongside illegal drugs as items not to bring into the country.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

Do not smoke or use any tobacco product in a public place or on public transport anywhere in Bangladesh. "Public place" is defined very broadly and expressly includes hotels, restaurants, food shops and coffee houses, airport, seaport and railway station buildings, platforms, bus terminals, shopping buildings, cinemas, public toilets, fairs and children's parks - plus their verandas, entrance gates, yards and gardens. A 2026 amendment extended the ban from smoking to ALL tobacco products and raised the fine sevenfold.

A criminal fine (not a tax) of up to Tk 2,000 for a first offence, doubling progressively for each repeat offence. The Tk 2,000 figure replaced the old Tk 300 via the 2026 amendment - most travel guidance still quotes Tk 300 and is out of date. Separately, an owner or manager of a public place or public transport who fails to display the required no-smoking notice faces up to Tk 5,000 (raised from Tk 1,000) - that is a penalty on the venue, not on the traveller.

Verified Aug 29, 2026

An International Driving Permit is required to drive in Bangladesh, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal — it can lead to immediate incarceration.

DUI: immediate incarceration.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

You may be questioned if you photograph certain buildings in Bangladesh — including military facilities, embassies, police stations, shipyards, traffic inspection facilities, and airports; use caution photographing government facilities generally.

Risk of detention.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

If you put a Bangladeshi SIM in your own phone, the handset must be cleared through BTRC's National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) or it gets cut off the network. BTRC's own guidance says a foreign visitor does need to register the device if they intend to use it beyond 30 days on a local SIM, via an online "Special Registration" using passport, visa and entry stamp. An unregistered device is blocked, and only BTRC can unblock it.

No monetary fine is stated in the BTRC guidance read. The documented consequence is technical, not financial: the handset is blocked from Bangladeshi mobile networks, and the user must contact BTRC to have it unblocked. Do not attach a fine to this rule.

Verified Aug 29, 2026

Consensual same-sex sexual activity is criminalized in Bangladesh, with penalties up to life imprisonment and no legal protections based on sexual orientation.

Up to life imprisonment.

Verified Jul 19, 2026

Bangladesh is a majority-Muslim country: dress modestly — women should cover shoulders and legs in public — and respect customs and laws during Ramadan.

Verified Jul 19, 2026