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 New Eskaton Road, Dhaka-1000 |
| District offices | All 8 divisions and most districts have BMET offices — check bmet.gov.bd for your nearest office |
| Online pre-registration | probashi.gov.bd — mandatory first step before office visit |
| Smart Card | Physical biometric card issued as proof of BMET clearance. Must be presented at airport departure gate. |
| Processing time | 5–7 working days from completed application with all documents |
| Fee | BDT 3,000 (verify current rate at bmet.gov.bd — fees are periodically revised by ministerial notification) |
| Legal basis | Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013; Emigration Ordinance 1982 (as amended) |
| Who must obtain it | Every Bangladeshi worker departing for overseas employment, including Ukraine |
Why BMET Clearance Is Mandatory — Legal Basis
The Emigration Ordinance 1982 (as amended) and the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013 together require every Bangladeshi national departing for overseas employment to register with BMET and obtain government clearance before departure. Working abroad without BMET clearance is an offence under Section 21 of the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act — punishable by fine and, for recruiters who facilitate non-compliant departures, licence revocation and criminal prosecution.
The Smart Card system was introduced to bring BMET registration into the biometric era, replacing paper-based clearance with a tamper-resistant biometric card that immigration officers at Bangladesh's international airports and land borders can verify electronically. Departure is checked against the BMET database at the immigration counter — workers who have not obtained clearance are identified and stopped before boarding.
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
- Registers the worker in the Wage Earners' Welfare Board (WEWB) scheme, providing access to welfare funds if the worker faces emergencies abroad
- 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
- Provides insurance coverage under the WEWB scheme including death compensation, repatriation assistance, and limited medical cost support
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 the basis of your BMET online registration at probashi.gov.bd. |
| Ukrainian work permit | Original or certified copy. 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 licensed Bangladesh recruiting agency (BAIRA member), provide the agency's BMET registration number and the recruitment agreement. If engaged directly by the Ukrainian employer, provide correspondence demonstrating direct engagement. |
| probashi.gov.bd pre-registration print | Printed confirmation page from your online pre-registration at probashi.gov.bd. This reduces queue time at the BMET office and links your application to your online profile. |
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.
Pre-register at probashi.gov.bd
Visit probashi.gov.bd and create or log in to your worker account. Complete the overseas employment registration form with your NID number, passport number, destination country (Ukraine), employer details, employment contract details, and recruiting agency information (if applicable). Upload scanned documents as required by the portal. Print the confirmation page after completing online registration — bring it to the BMET office.
Online registration takes 30–60 minutes. 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 New Eskaton Road, Dhaka. Submit: completed BMET application form, all required documents, probashi.gov.bd confirmation print, 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 BMET fee
Pay BDT 3,000 at the official BMET cashier counter inside the BMET office. 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 and to the BMET national database that immigration officers access at departure. 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 within 5–7 working days after your biometric recording and fee payment. 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.
The Smart Card is required at airport departure — no substitutes are accepted.
What Happens If You Depart Without BMET Clearance
Departure from Bangladesh for overseas employment without BMET clearance is blocked at the immigration counter at all international airports (Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal, Chittagong Shah Amanat, Sylhet Osmani) and at major land border crossings. Bangladesh immigration officers cross-check departing passengers identified as overseas workers against the BMET Smart Card database in real time. Workers flagged as lacking clearance are stopped before the departure gate.
If a worker bypasses departure controls (e.g., by misrepresenting the purpose of travel as tourism), this constitutes an offence under the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013. Upon return to Bangladesh, the worker may face prosecution for the illegal departure. 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
- Cannot register with the Bangladesh Embassy in Kyiv as a registered overseas worker, limiting consular assistance
- 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
Start the BMET clearance process immediately once you have your verified Ukrainian work permit in hand. The Smart Card processing time of 5–7 working days can run in parallel with other final preparations — medical fitness testing (which must precede BMET anyway), police clearance legalisation, or the final stages of visa application preparation.
Do not leave BMET clearance to the final days before your departure flight. Airport departure without the Smart Card is physically impossible, and rescheduling international flights to Kyiv or other Ukrainian gateways is expensive and disruptive to employer timelines. Build at least 3 weeks of buffer between starting BMET and your intended departure date — 2 weeks for the medical fitness and BMET processing, and 1 week of buffer for unforeseen delays.
BMET Clearance for Students
Students going to Ukraine for study on a D-student visa require a different category of BMET clearance — the student clearance form, not the worker clearance form. The same BMET offices process both categories, but the required documents differ. Students must bring their university admission letter, proof of enrollment fee payment, and passport instead of a work permit and employment contract. The fee and processing times are similar. Confirm the specific requirements for the student clearance category at your BMET office or at bmet.gov.bd.
BMET clearance requires a genuine Ukrainian work permit. If a recruiter or BAIRA-registered broker offers to "arrange BMET clearance" without providing you the original work permit document issued by DSZ Ukraine, 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. A recruiter facilitating clearance on a fake permit faces criminal prosecution under the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act.