The BMET card is the Smart Card that the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training issues to a Bangladeshi worker going abroad for a job. It is the proof of BMET emigration clearance and you show it at departure. Workers going to Ukraine on an employment visa need it like everyone else. The card itself is free; the Wage Earners' Welfare Board fee is Tk 5,500 from 1 October 2026.
What Is BMET?
The Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) is the government body under Bangladesh's Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment responsible for registering, tracking, and protecting Bangladeshi citizens who go abroad for employment. BMET maintains the national database of overseas workers, administers worker welfare funds, issues the Smart Card clearance, and coordinates with Bangladesh embassies to provide consular assistance to workers in distress abroad.
BMET's mandate covers all Bangladeshi workers leaving for overseas employment — not just workers going to Gulf states or Southeast Asia. Workers going to Ukraine under an employment-category visa are subject to the same BMET clearance requirement as workers going to Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, or Japan. Ukraine's relative novelty as a destination does not create an exemption.
| Issuing body | BMET — Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training. Website: bmet.gov.bd |
|---|---|
| Head office | 89/2 Kakrail, Dhaka-1000. Check the current phone numbers and office hours on bmet.gov.bd before you visit. |
| District offices | All 8 divisions and most districts have BMET offices — check bmet.gov.bd for your nearest office |
| Online registration | employee.oep.gov.bd (linked from bmet.gov.bd as the registration for workers going abroad); registration with BMET is required by section 19 of the 2013 Act |
| Smart Card | Physical biometric card issued as proof of BMET clearance. Must be presented at airport departure gate. |
| Processing time | Check with your BMET office; clearance includes the mandatory three-day pre-departure orientation (PDO) |
| Fees | Smart Card: free of charge (the earlier Tk 500 fee was abolished). Wage Earners' Welfare Board fee: Tk 5,500 from 1 October 2026, up from Tk 3,500 — per the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare circular reported by bdnews24 and Dhaka Tribune on 22 September 2026. Re-check at bmet.gov.bd before paying. |
| Legal basis | Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013 (it repealed the Emigration Ordinance 1982, section 49) |
| Who must obtain it | Every Bangladeshi worker departing for overseas employment, including Ukraine |
Why BMET Clearance Is Mandatory — Legal Basis
The Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013 requires every Bangladeshi national migrating for work to register with BMET (section 19) and to obtain emigration clearance on an electronic card (section 20), together with the job letter or work permit and the visa (section 4(2)). Departing for work without clearance breaches section 4 of the Act. A person who sends a worker abroad in breach of the Act faces up to 5 years' imprisonment and a fine of at least Tk 1 lakh (section 31); other breaches without a specific penalty carry up to 6 months' imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk 50,000, or both (section 35A).
The Smart Card system was introduced to bring BMET registration into the biometric era, replacing paper-based clearance with an electronic card that carries the worker's biometric data (section 20 of the 2013 Act). A worker who departs without it breaches section 4 and risks being stopped at departure; checks are applied unevenly.
BMET clearance serves protective functions that benefit the worker:
- Creates an official record of the worker's employment contract, destination, and employer details — enabling Bangladesh embassies to locate and assist workers in distress
- Records the worker for the Wage Earners' Welfare Board, whose grants support registered workers and their families
- Requires submission of a verified employment contract as part of the application — functioning as a basic document check that can catch fraudulent employer offers before the worker departs
- Links to the mandatory life and disability insurance with Jiban Bima Corporation introduced in December 2019 under a WEWB agreement; check current premiums and benefits with WEWB (wewb.gov.bd)
Required Documents for BMET Smart Card Application
| Valid passport (MRP or e-passport) | Original — must be the same passport you will travel on. BMET records the passport number; the Smart Card is linked to your passport. |
|---|---|
| National Identity Card (NID) | Original and photocopy. The NID number is used in your BMET online registration at employee.oep.gov.bd. |
| Ukrainian work permit and visa | Original or certified copy of the permit, and the passport with the Type D visa (section 4(2) of the 2013 Act). The work permit issued by DSZ (Ukraine's State Employment Service) is the primary evidence of a genuine employment offer. BMET cannot process clearance without a verifiable work permit. |
| Employment contract | Signed copy in Ukrainian (or bilingual) with certified English translation. BMET officers review the contract to confirm employment terms are consistent with the work permit. |
| Medical fitness certificate | From a BMET-approved medical centre. Tests include blood tests, HIV test, chest X-ray, and general medical examination. A list of approved centres is at bmet.gov.bd. The certificate must be dated within 3 months of the BMET application. |
| Passport-sized photographs | 4 recent photographs meeting standard specifications (white background, 3.5 × 4.5 cm). BMET takes biometric photos on-site but may require additional photographs for certain forms. |
| Recruiter/employer agency registration | If you were engaged through a government-licensed Bangladesh recruiting agency, provide its RL number (licence under section 9 of the 2013 Act) and the recruitment agreement. If engaged directly by the Ukrainian employer, provide correspondence demonstrating direct engagement. |
| Online registration confirmation | Printed confirmation of your BMET online registration at employee.oep.gov.bd. |
The BMET Smart Card Application Process Step by Step
Complete medical fitness examination
Before beginning the BMET application, obtain your medical fitness certificate from a BMET-approved medical centre near you. Tests include blood screening, HIV test, chest X-ray, and general clinical examination. The certificate is issued within 1–3 working days of examination and is valid for 3 months. A list of approved centres by district is available at bmet.gov.bd under "Medical Centres."
Do this first — it takes the longest to arrange outside Dhaka.
Register online with BMET
Open the worker registration at employee.oep.gov.bd (linked from bmet.gov.bd) and log in with the one-time code. Fill in the registration form with the details and scanned documents the portal asks for, then print the confirmation page and bring it to the BMET office.
Complete it before visiting any BMET office.
Visit nearest BMET district office (or Dhaka head office)
Attend in person at the BMET district employment office in your home district, or the BMET head office at 89/2 Kakrail, Dhaka. Submit: completed BMET application form, all required documents, online registration confirmation, passport, NID, medical fitness certificate, and photographs. BMET officers will review and verify your documents at the counter.
Bring originals and two photocopies of every document.
Pay the official fees
The Smart Card itself is free; the Wage Earners' Welfare Board fee is Tk 5,500 from 1 October 2026. Pay only through the official channel BMET names and keep the receipt. Do not pay money to any person outside the BMET building or in the queue — this is a well-known fraud location. Only official fee payment at the designated cashier counter inside is valid. Retain your numbered fee receipt — it is required for collection of the Smart Card.
Only pay at the official BMET cashier counter inside the office.
Biometric recording
BMET records your biometric data: fingerprints from all ten fingers and a digital photograph. This is done on-site at the BMET office during your application visit. The biometric data is linked to your Smart Card. Do not miss the biometric recording step — the application cannot proceed and no Smart Card can be issued without it.
Completed on-site during your office visit — typically 15–30 minutes.
Collect the Smart Card
The Smart Card is issued after the three-day pre-departure orientation, biometric recording and fee payment; ask the office for the current processing time. Collection options depend on the BMET office: in-person collection at the issuing office, or courier dispatch to your registered address. Confirm the collection option at the time of application. Bring your fee receipt and NID for collection. Do not depart Bangladesh for Ukraine without the physical Smart Card in your possession.
Carry the Smart Card with your passport when you depart for work.
What Happens If You Depart Without BMET Clearance
Section 4 of the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013 requires emigration clearance for anyone going abroad for work. Immigration officers at the airport may ask a departing worker for the Smart Card, and a worker without clearance risks being stopped before departure. Checks are applied unevenly, so the only safe plan is to travel with the Smart Card in hand.
If a worker bypasses departure controls (e.g., by misrepresenting the purpose of travel as tourism), this breaches section 4 of the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013. The Act sets no separate penalty for the worker; its general penalty for breaches without a specific penalty is up to 6 months' imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk 50,000, or both (section 35A). More practically, a worker who arrives in Ukraine without BMET clearance:
- Cannot access Wage Earners' Welfare Board protection or welfare funds if they encounter problems in Ukraine
- Is not registered with BMET; the Act lets an unregistered migrant register later with the Bangladesh mission in the country of stay (section 19(2)), which for Ukraine is the Embassy of Bangladesh in Warsaw
- Has no formal record with the Bangladesh government of their employment contract or employer details — creating practical difficulties if the employment relationship breaks down
- Faces legal consequences for the recruiting agency or employer that facilitated the non-compliant departure, which in turn creates complications for the worker's own legal standing
Timing — When to Start
Order of steps: work permit issued to the employer → Type D visa → BMET registration and clearance → departure. Section 4(2) of the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013 requires the clearance together with the work permit and the visa. You can arrange the medical fitness test and the BMET online registration while the visa is processed.
Do not leave BMET clearance to the final days before your departure flight. Leaving for work without the Smart Card breaches section 4 of the 2013 Act and risks being stopped at the airport, and rescheduling international travel to Ukraine is expensive and disruptive to employer timelines. Check BMET's current processing time, include the three-day PDO, and leave a buffer for unforeseen delays before you book a flight.
BMET Clearance for Students
BMET emigration clearance applies to people going abroad for work. Section 5 of the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013 excludes students, trainees and tourists from the Act. A student travelling on a Type D study visa needs the passport, the visa and the university documents. If you later take a job abroad, BMET registration and clearance then apply.
BMET clearance requires a genuine Ukrainian work permit. If a recruiter or BAIRA-registered broker offers to "arrange BMET clearance" without a work permit you can match to the employment centre's published decision (Law No. 5067-VI, Art. 42-7, part 3), or claims to have BMET contacts who can process clearance without a real permit — this is fraud. BMET cannot and does not accept forged or unverifiable permits. Obtaining a demand letter, visa or work permit for overseas employment by unlawful means and buying or selling it in Bangladesh is an offence under section 33 of the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013: 2 to 7 years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of at least Tk 3 lakh.