How to Give or Get a Divorce (Talaq) in Bangladesh: Notice, 90 Days, Khula & Costs

In this guide: Step 1: the written notice · Step 2: the arbitration council and the 90 days · When the wife wants the divorce · Step 3: register the divorce · Money: denmohor, iddat and children · Divorce from abroad · Hindu and Christian marriages · Mandatory mediation before a case

The short answer

A Muslim husband can divorce by talaq, but under section 7 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 the talaq has no legal effect until 90 days after the Chairman receives a written notice. A wife can divorce too: through a delegated right (talaq-e-tafwid) written in her kabinnama, by agreement (khula), or through the Family Court. Whichever route is used, the same notice procedure applies, and the divorce should then be registered with a Nikah Registrar (Kazi).

Step 1: the written notice

After pronouncing talaq, the husband must send written notice to the Chairman of the Union Parishad, or the Mayor or Administrator of the City Corporation or Pourashava, for the area where the wife lives, and send a copy to the wife. Registered post with acknowledgement is the safest way, because the date of receipt starts the clock. Keep the postal receipts and the acknowledgement cards.

Step 2: the arbitration council and the 90 days

On receiving the notice, the Chairman forms an arbitration council, usually with a representative of each side, to attempt reconciliation. Attendance is not compulsory and the council cannot stop the divorce. If nothing changes, the talaq becomes effective when 90 days have passed from the Chairman’s receipt of the notice. If the wife is pregnant, it takes effect only at the end of the 90 days or the end of the pregnancy, whichever is later. The notice can be withdrawn within the 90 days, in which case the marriage continues.

When the wife wants the divorce

Talaq-e-tafwid (delegated right)

Check column 18 of the kabinnama. If the husband delegated the power of divorce to the wife, she can exercise it herself and follow exactly the same notice procedure. Many women do not realise they already hold this right. Her denmohor remains payable in full.

Khula (divorce by agreement)

In khula the wife seeks the divorce and the parties agree terms, often that she gives up some or all of the unpaid denmohor. Write the terms down and have both parties sign. Then serve the notice as above. A khula is not a reason to lose maintenance for the iddat period unless that is expressly agreed.

Divorce through the Family Court

If there is no delegated right and no agreement, the wife can sue in the Family Court under the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939. The recognised grounds include: husband’s whereabouts unknown for four years; failure to maintain her for two years; a second marriage without the Arbitration Council’s permission; a prison sentence of seven years or more; failure to perform marital obligations for three years; impotence; insanity for two years or serious disease; being married off before 18 and repudiating it before 19 (if not consummated); and cruelty, which the courts read widely to include habitual ill-treatment and mental cruelty.

Step 3: register the divorce

Once effective, register the divorce with the Nikah Registrar under the Muslim Marriages and Divorces (Registration) Act 1974. The registration fee is currently Tk 1,000, set by rules that are revised from time to time. The certified divorce registration is what embassies, passport offices and future marriage registrars will ask for.

Money: denmohor, iddat and children

• Denmohor: any unpaid dower, prompt or deferred, becomes payable immediately on divorce. See our denmohor and maintenance guide.
• Iddat maintenance: the wife is entitled to maintenance during the iddat period.
• Children: divorce does not end the father’s duty to maintain the children, and custody is decided on the child’s welfare. See our child custody guide.

Divorce from abroad

A husband or wife living overseas can give talaq (or exercise tafwid) by signing the talaq and notice abroad, ideally attested at the Bangladesh mission, and sending the notice by courier or registered post to the Chairman and the spouse. A lawyer in Bangladesh can file and follow up at the Union Parishad or City Corporation office and arrange registration. Keep proof of delivery: overseas divorces are most often challenged on service.

Hindu and Christian marriages

There is no statutory divorce for Hindu marriages in Bangladesh. A Hindu wife can seek separate residence and maintenance under the Hindu Married Women’s Right to Separate Residence and Maintenance Act 1946. Christian marriages are dissolved only through court under the Divorce Act 1869, with confirmation by the High Court Division.

Mandatory mediation before a case

Family disputes such as dissolution, dower, maintenance and custody are now subject to mandatory pre-case mediation through the District Legal Aid Office under the amended Legal Aid Services Act, in the districts where it has been rolled out (30 districts by July 2026, with the rest to follow). In those districts you will need the mediation failure certificate before filing in the Family Court.