Domestic laws and policies do not specifically allow refugees to engage in self-employment. For any non-national to work in Bangladesh, one must obtain a valid visa with a work permit authorized by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Government’s visa policy does not include refugees as a category to issue a work visa. 

Further, Section 10 of the Foreigners Order, 1951, imposes restrictions of employment on non-citizens and further states, “[n]o foreigner shall without the general or special permission in writing of the civil authority, enter any premises relating to, or be employed in, or in connection with- (1) any undertaking for the supply to Government or to the public of light, petroleum, powers or water, or- (2) any other undertaking which may be specified by the Central Government in this behalf."

However, despite the legal ambiguity, in practice, some Rohingya refugees are informally self-employed, such as operating small shops inside the camps. These informal marketplaces set up by Rohingya have become vital sources of income for some refugee households to cover their basic needs and supplement the limited aid rations they receive. Operating such shops are not a prescribed right of Rohingya refugees and are occasionally subject to demolishing and punitive actions by law enforcement agencies in the refugee camps.