➢ You must operate within Bahrain

➢ You must be registered with the Labor Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA)

➢ You must maintain a specific percentage of Bahraini workers, ranging from 5% to 50%, based on the industry

➢ Under current laws, you can hire foreign workers in Bahrain only if no Bahraini citizen is available to fill the vacancy. To check the availability of local workers, you must publish a job ad in local newspapers for 7 days

➢ The advertisement must include information about the job vacancy, the company’s name, and contact details such as the registered LMRA email and phone number

➢ Post a job ad on VideoWorkers and select from the candidates who applied or search the database directly

➢ After finding a good match, conduct the interview, make a job offer then sign an employment contract. The employment contract must be in Arabic

➢ Your future employee must obtain a medical report from one of the health centers accredited by the Ministry of Health located in their home country

➢ If there is no accredited center available in the worker’s country of residence, you must complete a Non Wafid medical checkup form. The form is available at this link

➢ You must apply for a work permit online via the LMRA EMS system

➢ Required documents:

◦ Copy of worker’s passport, with specific page requirements and a minimum validity of 6 months (recommended 2 years)

◦ For non-commercial institutions and non-governmental organizations: a copy of a valid license from the relevant authority

◦ For the private sector: a copy of the latest paid electricity bill, not older than 3 months. If electricity is not under your responsibility, you may include the lease contract

◦ Copy of the worker’s ID card, if available

◦ Copy of the work contract signed by both the employer and the employee

◦ Copy of the worker’s medical check-up report 

◦ Copy of the Resident Permit if the worker is residing in another country

◦ For workers with terminated work permits: a copy of the Intention to Transfer Form 

◦ For certain specialized occupations such as teachers, doctors, engineers, etc.: a copy of the approval letter or no-objection certificate from the relevant authority 

◦ If the worker is already terminated and his grace period has expired: proof of extension of the grace period 

◦ If the worker entered Bahrain on a visit visa: a copy of the valid visit visa 

➢ Application fees: 

◦ BD 344 for a work permit valid for two years, including health insurance fees

◦ BD 172 for a work permit valid for one year, including health insurance fees

◦ BD 86 for a work permit valid for 6 months, including health insurance fees

◦ BD 5 administrative fees for any transaction processed in the LMRA system

➢ Processing time: 1-10 business days

➢ Upon entering the country, your employee must obtain an ID Card

➢ They must submit the application online or in person at one of the ID card service centers

➢ For more information on the prerequisites and appointment booking, please refer to this link: https://www.iga.gov.bh/en/category/id-card-centres-services 

➢ Application fee: BD 10

➢ Processing time: 1 business day