Rules & documents: Bangladesh

1. Apply for a learner licence through the BRTA Service Portal with your NID or birth certificate, a medical certificate and the fee.
2. Ride only under supervision and with an "L" sign while you hold the learner licence.
3. Sit the BRTA competency test: written, oral (viva) and a practical field test.
4. After passing, give your biometrics (photo, fingerprints, signature) at the BRTA circle office.
5. Collect the smart-card driving licence when the SMS says it is ready.

You must be at least 18 for a non-professional motorcycle licence.

• Driving licence
• Registration certificate
• Valid tax token
• Fitness certificate where it applies to your vehicle
• Insurance certificate, if you hold one

• New motorcycles are registered with BRTA through the dealer; registration fees, tax token and number plate (retro-reflective, digital) are paid at the time of purchase.
• Ownership transfer is applied for at BRTA with the seller's signed transfer forms, the original registration documents, valid tax token and both parties' NIDs; both parties may need to give biometrics.
• Until BRTA records the transfer, the seller stays the registered owner.

• Under the Road Transport Act 2018, compulsory third-party insurance was replaced by an accident-victim assistance fund paid through BRTA fees.
• Comprehensive insurance from a private insurer is optional but strongly recommended, especially for new bikes. Check BRTA for the current rule.

• Keep the tax token valid; it is renewed through BRTA, and riding with an expired tax token is fined.
• Fitness and emission rules for two-wheelers are set by BRTA; check the portal for whether your vehicle needs one.

• Rider and pillion must wear a proper helmet. Police in Dhaka and other cities have also enforced "no helmet, no fuel" at petrol pumps.
• Only one pillion rider.
• Keep left and overtake from the right.
• No phone use while riding.

Fines are set by the Road Transport Act 2018 and its rules. Amounts change, so treat these as approximate and check BRTA or the traffic police.

• Riding without a licence: up to 6 months in jail and/or a fine of up to about Tk 25,000.
• Riding without a helmet or with more than one pillion: fine of up to about Tk 10,000.
• Expired tax token or registration: fine, and the bike can be seized.