BB eases int'l card payments for foreign airline tickets
Bangladesh Bank has expanded the scope for international card payments for air tickets purchased from foreign airlines, allowing eligible transactions to be settled through international acquiring and payment arrangements outside Bangladesh.
The Foreign Exchange Policy Department-1 (FEPD-1), in Circular No. 39 issued on Monday, introduced the facility as an expansion of the framework under FE Circular No. 47 issued on November 19, 2025.
Under the new arrangement, foreign airlines operating in Bangladesh may accept international card payments for air tickets if the proceeds are settled through established international acquiring and payment arrangements outside Bangladesh.
The facility applies only to foreign airlines. Bangladeshi airlines will continue to follow existing local settlement and domestic acquiring arrangements for international ticket sales originating from Bangladesh.
A key provision of the circular is that eligible ticket purchases will not be counted against an individual's annual travel entitlement. Such purchases therefore will not be adjusted against the standard annual travel quota.
Bangladesh Bank has also prescribed a post-facto card replenishment mechanism. Authorised Dealers (ADs) may replenish an international card only after verifying the ticket purchase against the card statement and confirming that the transaction falls under the eligible Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) specified by the central bank.
The eligible foreign airlines are Air India, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Flydubai, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Thai Airways International, Turkish Airlines and Air Arabia.
ADs must report all ticket purchases made under the facility through Bangladesh Bank's Transaction Monitoring (TM) module, according to the circular.
The central bank also directed ADs to continue applying the provisions of FE Circular No. 47 of 2025 that have not been specifically modified, including relevant documentation, verification and compliance requirements.
Foreign airlines receiving ticket proceeds through offshore settlement arrangements will also have to include those proceeds when calculating their remittable surplus earnings. Amounts settled outside Bangladesh cannot be claimed again as part of their regular profit remittances.
The adjustment must be made in accordance with the audit requirements under Part-B of FEPD-1 Circular No. 08, issued on May 7, 2026.
Bangladesh Bank instructed ADs to inform their customers and corporate constituents about the revised arrangement and ensure compliance with applicable foreign-exchange regulations.