Bahrain Work Visa: Employer Process, Fees and Worker Checklist

01Your employer applies for the Bahrain work visa

LMRA calls the service New Work Permit. It lets a registered employer apply for an expatriate employee who will work on the employer’s commercial registration. The worker supplies documents and follows the employer’s instructions, but the employer creates the EMS application.

If you are an employer completing EMS fields, use the detailed LMRA work permit application guide.

02Prepare the worker documents

• Passport: valid for at least six months. LMRA recommends at least two years before applying.
• Medical report: issued within two months and showing healthy fit. Applicants outside Bahrain use an accredited Wafid centre, or the official non-Wafid form when no accredited centre exists in the city or country.
• Regulated occupation approval: when the job requires approval, such as certain teaching, medical, engineering or banking roles.
• Existing Bahrain personal number: give the employer the same number if you previously had one.

Indian applicants already in Bahrain can use Indian passport renewal in Bahrain if the passport needed for the employer's application requires renewal.

03The employer submits through LMRA EMS

1. The employer signs in to LMRA EMS.
2. They open New Work Permit and choose New Expatriate Permit.
3. They choose the work visa type and enter the worker’s details.
4. The permit period is matched to the employment contract.
5. They upload the required documents and submit.
6. EMS issues an application ID.

04Bahrain work visa fees and processing time

• One year: BHD 195.
• Two years: BHD 390.
• Administration: BHD 5.
• Outside-Bahrain job advertisement: BHD 30.
• Outside Bahrain processing: 21 working days.
• Inside Bahrain processing: three working days for LMRA approval.

The six-month BHD 97.5 option is only for an expatriate already in Bahrain with a cancelled work permit. It is not an overseas recruitment option.

For the detailed fee components, see the LMRA fees guide.

05Check the approved permit status

Once the employer says the permit is approved, use LMRA’s public View Expatriate Employee Data form. Enter the worker CPR, nationality and passport number. If you do not yet have a Bahrain personal number, ask the employer for the application ID and request an EMS status update.

Follow the LMRA visa check steps.

06Before travelling to Bahrain

• Wait for the approved permit and employer instructions.
• Check that passport details match the application.
• Do not replace or alter the passport after the permit is issued without asking the employer and LMRA how to update the record.
• Carry the documents requested by the employer and airline.
• Do not assume a job offer letter alone is permission to work.

For an application from abroad, the official process includes a 21-day period and a seven-day local job announcement. Build that time into travel planning.

07After arrival: residence permit and CPR

If the worker applied from outside Bahrain, the employer prints the residence permit through Bahrain’s National Portal after arrival. The worker then follows the applicable identity card and biometric steps.

• Download the Bahrain residence permit
• Choose the correct CPR Bahrain service
• Book an LMRA appointment when required

08Protect yourself from work visa scams

• Do not pay an employer for issuing or renewing an employer-sponsored work permit. LMRA says the employer bears the official costs.
• Check the permit on LMRA’s own website before relying on a screenshot sent by someone else.
• Do not work for a different employer or occupation unless the required LMRA process is complete.
• Call LMRA on 17506055 if the employer’s claim does not match the official status.
• For worker complaints or grievances, LMRA lists the 995 hotline and [email protected].