The DIFE factory licence and the LIMA portal
Establishment classes, prerequisite approvals, the LIMA filing route and what inspectors actually look for during a first factory licence visit.
Compliance · 6 min read · Updated August 2026
The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments issues the licence that makes a manufacturing operation lawful. It sits at the end of a prerequisite chain — layout approval and fire licence first — and filing out of sequence wastes weeks.
DIFE factory licence — establishment classes
Establishment class is set by worker headcount and determines the licence fee band and renewal scrutiny. Fee bands below are indicative and must be confirmed against the current gazette.
| Class | Indicative worker band | Indicative fee band (BDT) | Typical profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | Up to ~50 workers | Lowest band — low thousands | Small assembly or packaging unit |
| C | ~51–100 workers | Low band | Light manufacturing |
| D | ~101–500 workers | Mid band | Mid-size garment or engineering plant |
| E | ~501–1,000 workers | Upper-mid band | Large manufacturing unit |
| H | Several thousand workers | Highest band — tens of thousands | Composite mill or industrial park tenant |
Filing through LIMA
Applications are submitted through the labour inspection management portal, with the approved layout plan, fire licence, company documents and worker particulars attached. The portal exposes the file status, which helps, but rejections still turn on substance: a layout that does not match the built structure, exit widths that fail the fire standard, or worker numbers inconsistent with the declared class.
What the first inspection examines
- Means of escape: exit count, width, signage, unobstructed routes and assembly points.
- Fire detection and suppression equipment matched to the approved fire plan.
- Statutory registers: attendance, overtime, leave, accident and inspection registers.
- Welfare provisions scaled to headcount — washrooms, drinking water, first aid, childcare where required.
- Group insurance coverage and the safety committee's constitution and minutes.
We prepare the file, run a pre-inspection walkthrough against the inspector's checklist, and close the gaps before the visit rather than during it.