Bringing a TV to Bangladesh — duty by screen size

This page is an honest one. We can tell you how television duty is structured, and we can tell you where the numbers live. We are not going to tell you what they are, because we have not verified them.

The short answer

Television duty is charged in bands by screen size, under Chapter 98 of the NBR tariff.
A larger screen sits in a higher band. The bands are diagonal-inch thresholds, not a smooth per-inch rate.
A television is essentially always a red-channel item.
We do not publish the current band figures — see the last section.

Why screen size and not price

Banding by size rather than declared value removes the argument. A declared price can be low; a diagonal measurement cannot be negotiated at the desk.

The practical consequence is that a cheap large TV and an expensive large TV are treated the same. If you are choosing what to carry, the size threshold matters far more than what you paid.

Measure before you decide

Screen size is the diagonal of the panel, not the outside of the bezel and not the box. If you are near a band boundary, that difference decides which band you land in — so measure the panel itself before assuming which side you are on.

Practical considerations beyond duty

Several things make carrying a television harder than the duty question alone:

Airline handling. Many carriers restrict or refuse large flat panels, and those that accept them often exclude them from damage liability.
Voltage and tuner standards. A set bought abroad may not tune broadcast channels locally even when it powers on fine.
The weight counts toward your baggage allowance.

Travellers frequently find that once airline excess and the risk of a cracked panel are added, the duty was the smaller part of the decision.

Which channel do I use?

Red. Declare it and have it assessed.

What we could not verify

The band table itself. SITE-SPEC and the tariff both confirm that duty is slabbed by screen size under Chapter 98, but we have not transcribed the current thresholds and rates from the primary source.

Publishing an estimate here would be guessing at a number a traveller would budget against. The calculator therefore has no TV input, and shows a “not yet verified” note instead of a field. When the table is transcribed from Chapter 98, the field appears and this section disappears.

Common questions

How much duty will I pay on a television?

We do not publish a figure. Duty is charged in bands by screen size under Chapter 98 of the NBR tariff, but we have not transcribed the band table from the primary source, so no verified figure exists on this site. Ask NBR, or Customs at HSIA, rather than budgeting against a guess.

Why does the calculator have no TV field?

Because there is no verified band table to compute against. The calculator shows a not-yet-verified note instead of a field. An estimate here would be a number a traveller would budget against, which is exactly what this site exists to replace.

Is the duty based on screen size or on what I paid?

Screen size. Banding by the diagonal of the panel rather than by declared value removes the argument at the desk: a declared price can be low, a measurement cannot be negotiated.

How do I measure the screen for the band?

The diagonal of the panel itself, not the outside of the bezel and not the box. If you are near a band boundary, that difference decides which side you land on - but we cannot tell you where the boundaries are, because we have not verified them.

Which channel do I use for a television?

Red. A television is essentially always a red-channel item: declare it and have it assessed.