Practical guide

Bahrain expat healthcare fee for 2027

By Gaurav Agarwal · Updated 18 October 2026

Under the standard Ministry of Health payment route, the establishment owner pays the BHD 108 annual healthcare amount for a non-Bahraini worker in 2027, and LMRA collects it at work-permit issue or renewal. Approved establishments may instead provide basic care through a licensed insurer, a licensed in-house medical unit or a private health institution. The Cabinet announcement exempts domestic workers from the revised fees.

2027 standard amountBHD 108 annually

Standard payerThe establishment owner

How collectedLMRA at permit issue or renewal

Domestic workersExempt from the revised fees

Read the official healthcare fee decision

Jump to a step

Who pays
Schedule
Worked example
Patient charges
At the clinic
Insurance law
Official gaps
FAQs
Official sources

01Who pays BHD 108, and how

Under Decision No. 29 of 2014, Article 5 is subject to Article 2. Under that standard Ministry route, the establishment owner is liable to pay the Ministry for basic healthcare.

Decision No. 6 of 2015 allows an establishment, after the required committee approval, to arrange basic care through a licensed health insurer, a licensed in-house medical unit or a private health institution providing care to its own workers.

For the standard Ministry route, LMRA collects the non-Bahraini worker amount at work-permit issue or renewal. Decision No. 44 sets that annual amount at BHD 108 from 1 January 2027. The decision makes the establishment owner liable for this Ministry amount; it is not a patient charge at a clinic.

The Cabinet announcement of 29 December 2025 says the revised permit and healthcare fees are introduced gradually from January 2026, with domestic workers exempted.

Employer: confirm whether the standard Ministry route or an approved Article 2 alternative applies.
Employer: for the standard route, identify the permit issue or renewal year and apply that year’s healthcare amount.
Employer: keep the LMRA transaction record for any amount collected at permit issue or renewal.
Worker: treat any patient charge as a separate charge and ask what service it covers.

02The annual healthcare schedule through 2029

Under the standard Ministry route, the healthcare amount is annual for a covered non-Bahraini worker. It is not BHD 108 each month and it is not a cumulative BHD 90 plus BHD 108. Domestic workers are exempt from the revised fees announced for the staged rollout.

The amendment took effect on 1 January 2026 and publishes a new amount for each year through 2029.

Official annual healthcare amount
Effective year	Amount per non-Bahraini worker
2026	BHD 90 annually
2027	BHD 108 annually
2028	BHD 126 annually
2029	BHD 144 annually

03Worked 2027 employer-cost examples

Do not add the healthcare and work-permit figures until you separate the three official charges. Decision No. 44 sets the annual healthcare amount. Edict No. 79 sets the separate annual work-permit fee and monthly foreign-worker fee.

For one non-domestic worker covered by the standard Ministry route, counted among an employer’s first five foreign workers in 2027, use BHD 108 healthcare, BHD 111 annual permit fee and 12 monthly payments of BHD 10. Our full-year calculation is 108 + 111 + (10 × 12) = BHD 339.

For one non-domestic worker covered by the standard Ministry route, beyond the first five in 2027, use BHD 108 healthcare, BHD 111 annual permit fee and 12 monthly payments of BHD 15. Our full-year calculation is 108 + 111 + (15 × 12) = BHD 399.

2027 annualised employer cost for one worker
Worker position	Healthcare	Permit	Monthly fee across the year	Worked total
Among first five	BHD 108	BHD 111	BHD 10 × 12	BHD 339
Beyond first five	BHD 108	BHD 111	BHD 15 × 12	BHD 399

04Patient charges are a different layer

The Ministry of Health publishes separate prices for consultations, physiotherapy, nursing, vaccines, laboratory work and radiology. These charges apply when a service is used and are not the annual employer-paid healthcare amount.

The MOH Medical Records page, last updated 21 January 2024, lists BHD 7 for consultation only for uninsured non-Bahraini patients who are not government employees. Check the page date and the named patient category before relying on that figure.

Keep the official charges separate
Charge	Who or what it concerns
BHD 108 in 2027	Standard annual Ministry-route amount paid by the establishment owner and collected through LMRA.
BHD 111 in 2027	Annual work-permit issuance or renewal fee payable by the employer.
BHD 10 or BHD 15 monthly	Foreign-worker monthly fee, depending on whether the worker is among the first five.
BHD 7 consultation only	The stated uninsured, non-government-employee patient category on the MOH page dated 21 January 2024.

05What to carry for a Ministry of Health visit

MOH asks patients to provide an identity document. A non-Bahraini government employee should also present a work ID card.

General-clinic appointments can be booked through the free line 80007000, the ministry website or the SEHATI app.

Carry your identity document.
Carry your government work ID if that category applies.
Ask the counter to name the patient category and service behind any charge.
Keep the receipt for the named service.

06Mandatory-insurance benefit fees are also separate

Bahrain’s Health Insurance Law allows a fee for specified benefits in mandatory insurance to be paid by a non-Bahraini beneficiary to the provider. That is separate from the annual healthcare amount collected through LMRA.

Article 42(c) contains a longer exemption list; maternity and child care are one example. Check the full provision and the implementing rule for the specific benefit before treating a patient fee as exempt.

07What the official pages do not say

The healthcare decision does not combine every employer and patient cost into one number. Use the separate healthcare, work-permit, monthly-worker and patient-charge sources for the transaction you are checking.

The worked totals above assume a full 12 months of the stated monthly fee. Edict No. 79 says the annual permit fee is collected in proportion to the permit duration, so an actual LMRA transaction can differ for a shorter permit.

08FAQs

Who pays the Bahrain expat healthcare fee in 2027?

Under the standard Ministry route, the establishment owner pays the Ministry and LMRA collects the amount when the work permit is issued or renewed. With committee approval, an establishment may instead use a licensed insurer, licensed in-house medical unit or private health institution. Domestic workers are exempt from the revised fees announced for the staged rollout.

How much is the healthcare amount in 2027?

The standard Ministry-route amount is BHD 108 annually from 1 January 2027 for a non-Bahraini worker. The Cabinet announcement exempts domestic workers from the revised fees.

Is BHD 108 charged every month?

No. BHD 108 is the annual 2027 healthcare amount. The separate monthly foreign-worker fee is BHD 10 for the first five workers or BHD 15 beyond five.

What is the 2027 work-permit fee?

Edict No. 79 lists BHD 111 as the annual issuance or renewal fee from 1 January 2027.

What is the current MOH consultation charge for an uninsured expat?

The MOH page, last updated 21 January 2024, lists BHD 7 for consultation only for uninsured non-Bahraini patients who are not government employees.

What should I take to a health centre?

Take an identity document. A non-Bahraini government employee should also present a work ID card.

How can I book a general-clinic appointment?

MOH lists 80007000, its online appointment service and the SEHATI app.

09Official sources

Official details checked 18 October 2026.