Dhaka, Jan. 1 -- From the first day of the year, exporters operating bonded warehouses must obtain Utilisation Permission (UP) exclusively through an online system to import raw materials under duty-free facilities, marking a decisive shift in the bonded management regime.

In a media statement issued on Thursday, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) said the Customs Bond Management System (CBMS) has been made mandatory for all bonded warehouse licence holders.

"As a result, from today, the manual application and approval process for UP (Utilisation Permission) has been discontinued," the revenue authority said.

The NBR had announced a month earlier that the move would take effect from Jan 1 as part of efforts to make the country's bonde...