These are the sectors open to foreign direct investment in Bhutan under the Foreign Direct Investment Rules and Regulations 2025, which came into force on 18 July 2025 and replaced the FDI Policy 2019 and the FDI Regulations 2019. Foreign investment is now allowed in every sector except those on a short negative list. Priority activities in manufacturing and services carry their own minimum project costs and foreign ownership limits, and several of them, including agriculture, plantation crops, five-star hotels, multispecialty hospitals, aviation, infrastructure parks and IT and IT-enabled services, allow up to 100% foreign ownership.

Activities that are not on the priority lists are open as Other Activities, with a minimum project cost of Nu. 50 million in manufacturing and Nu. 25 million in services and foreign ownership of up to 74%, provided the project has a positive effect on foreign reserves and creates quality jobs, and in manufacturing adds at least 30% in value. The foreign investor must hold at least 20% of the company, or 10% for a foreign institutional investor.

The full table of sectors, thresholds and conditions, the negative list, and the key rules on approvals, repatriation, investor cards and land are set out on our Invest in Bhutan page. The sector guides below explain each opportunity in more detail.