Official LMRA fee guide
LMRA Fees Bahrain: Work Permit and Renewal Costs
By Gaurav Agarwal · Checked 5 October 2026
Standard employer-sponsored LMRA work permit fees are BHD 97.5 for six months, BHD 195 for one year and BHD 390 for two years. Add the BHD 5 administration fee. A new application from outside Bahrain also has a BHD 30 job advertisement fee. The employer, not the worker, bears official work permit costs.
01LMRA fees at a glance
| Transaction | Published fee |
|---|---|
| New or renewed permit, six months | BHD 97.5 |
| New or renewed permit, one year | BHD 195 |
| New or renewed permit, two years | BHD 390 |
| Administration fee | BHD 5 |
| Outside-Bahrain job advertisement fee for a new permit | BHD 30 |
| Dependant permit | BHD 90 |
These figures are for the named LMRA transactions. A medical examination, regulated occupation approval or another government service can have separate costs.
02New work permit fees
For a new employer-sponsored permit, LMRA lists BHD 97.5 for six months, BHD 195 for one year and BHD 390 for two years. The six-month option is limited to an expatriate already in Bahrain with a cancelled work permit. Add BHD 5 administration and, for an application from outside Bahrain, BHD 30 for the job advertisement.
03Work permit renewal fees
The official renewal page breaks each total into the permit charge and basic health care:
- Six months: BHD 52.5 permit plus BHD 45 health care, total BHD 97.5.
- One year: BHD 105 permit plus BHD 90 health care, total BHD 195.
- Two years: BHD 210 permit plus BHD 180 health care, total BHD 390.
Add the BHD 5 administration fee.
04Dependant permit fee
The new permit page lists BHD 90 for dependants. The renewal page also lists BHD 90 to renew dependant permits, regardless of whether the primary worker’s permit is renewed for six months, one year or two years.
Use the Bahrain family visa guide for eligibility and health insurance conditions.
05Registered Worker Permit fees
The Registered Worker route has a different fee structure and should not be mixed with an employer-sponsored permit. LMRA publishes these initial totals:
- Six months: BHD 256.
- One year: BHD 342.
- Two years: BHD 514.
The totals include permit issuance, health insurance, one-time residency extension, one-time ticket insurance, work card and administration fees in the combinations shown by LMRA.
06Who pays LMRA work permit fees?
For an employer-sponsored work permit, LMRA says the employer bears the official work permit and health insurance costs. A worker should not pay the employer money in exchange for issuing or renewing the permit. The Registered Worker route is different: the registered worker commits to paying that programme’s published fees.
07How the fees are paid
Employers can pay new and renewal invoices through LMRA EMS or an LMRA-accredited bank. The Registered Worker page lists SADAD, approved registration-centre kiosks, BFC, Lulu Exchange and BenefitPay Fawateer among its payment channels.
Keep the application ID and invoice reference. Pay before the invoice due date because LMRA warns that an unpaid new or renewal application can be cancelled.
08LMRA monthly fees and invoices
An LMRA monthly invoice is separate from the permit issuance or renewal invoice. LMRA describes it as the total monthly fees calculated for all workers’ work visas under an establishment. The public fee overview does not publish one universal monthly total because the invoice depends on the establishment’s worker records.
- Pay overdue monthly fees promptly: LMRA warns that unpaid monthly fees can lead to cancellation of work permits.
- Late fee: LMRA lists BHD 2 for each month of delay on a work-permit monthly fee, capped at BHD 6.
- Registered Worker late fee: BHD 5 for each delayed month, capped at BHD 15.
- Check the actual invoice: use the establishment’s LMRA account and match the number of worker permits before paying.
09Why online LMRA fee totals often conflict
- Some pages quote only the permit component and omit health care.
- Some totals omit the BHD 5 administration fee.
- The BHD 30 advertisement charge applies only to new applications from outside Bahrain.
- Registered Worker and employer-sponsored permits use different fee structures.
- Old Flexi Permit figures do not describe every current LMRA permit route.
Open the official service page that matches the exact transaction and read the invoice before paying. For status only, use the LMRA visa check guide.
Match the fee to the permit route before calculating
LMRA has different service routes for an employer-sponsored permit, a dependant, a registered worker and other categories. The establishment employer service directory is the safest starting point. Open the named service and use its current fee table rather than applying one headline amount to every worker.
| Question | Why it changes the total |
|---|---|
| Is this a new permit or a renewal? | The process, eligibility and possible outside-Bahrain advertisement charge differ. |
| Is the worker already in Bahrain? | The six-month employer-sponsored option is limited by the conditions on the named service page. |
| Is this employer sponsorship or the Registered Worker Programme? | The programmes have different totals, components and payment responsibilities. |
| Is the invoice for a dependant? | Use the dependant service and invoice rather than the employee permit total. |
| Does the establishment use the parallel Bahrainisation route? | An additional amount can apply under that separate system. Confirm it on the establishment's invoice. |
The current New Work Permit page and Work Permit Renewal page are the controlling sources for the employer-sponsored figures shown above. The article's checked date matters because fees and components can change.
Read the LMRA invoice line by line
- Confirm the worker and application reference.
- Confirm the permit period shown on the invoice.
- Separate the permit component, health-care component and administration fee.
- For a new application from outside Bahrain, check whether the advertisement charge appears.
- Check for any programme-specific or establishment-specific line rather than assuming it is included in the headline permit total.
- Use the payment channel stated for that exact transaction and keep the receipt.
LMRA's consolidated fees page distinguishes monthly charges, late-payment consequences, refunds and invoice types. The page is in Arabic and was updated in April 2025. It says issuance, renewal and transfer invoices are separate from the employer's monthly invoice. Do not treat an unpaid monthly levy as if it were the one-time permit invoice.
The official outside-Bahrain hiring notice explains the vacancy-advertisement mechanism for a new permit from abroad. This is why the BHD 30 advertisement amount does not belong in every renewal calculation.
Employer responsibility, refunds and late payment
For an employer-sponsored permit, LMRA's official guidance says the employer is responsible for the work-permit and related government costs. The authority's legal guidance for workers says an employer may not charge an employee the work visa and government fees merely because the employee resigns. A separate contractual dispute should be handled through the proper labour route.
Refunds are conditional. The current LMRA fees page describes full and partial cases, including cancellation before the worker arrives and remaining-month treatment when a worker transfers. It also says refunded employer amounts return to the establishment account and can be used for other LMRA transactions or requested for bank transfer. Read the current rule and the specific invoice before expecting cash back.
Late monthly payments can lead to penalties and permit consequences. Do not wait for renewal day to reconcile an establishment's monthly invoices. A paid renewal invoice does not automatically cure every unpaid monthly charge or administrative notice.
Registered Worker fees are a separate calculation
The Registered Worker Permit service publishes the initial six-month, one-year and two-year totals, their components, eligibility, payment channels and processing time. It also states that the worker must be in Bahrain with a terminated permit and meet the programme conditions. A visit-visa holder is not eligible.
The official Labour Registration Programme brochure warns workers not to pay more than the amounts listed by LMRA and explains that a monthly fee applies in addition to the initial structure. Confirm both the initial invoice and the recurring obligation before comparing this programme with employer sponsorship.
The Registered Worker service form also separates new applications, renewals, cancellation, card replacement and occupation changes. Do not assume that a replacement card or later change is included in the first permit total.
LMRA fee questions
Is BHD 195 the complete one-year employer-sponsored permit amount?
LMRA's service page lists BHD 195 as the permit and basic health-care total for one year, with the BHD 5 administration fee added. Other transaction-specific amounts can still apply.
Does every new permit include the BHD 30 advertisement fee?
No. The official page associates it with a new work-permit application for an expatriate outside Bahrain.
Can an employer deduct the LMRA permit fee from the worker?
LMRA's worker guidance states that the employer bears employer-sponsored work-permit and related government fees. A worker facing a deduction should keep the contract, payslip and payment evidence and use the official complaint route.
Are Registered Worker fees the same as employer-sponsored fees?
No. The Registered Worker Programme has its own eligibility, initial totals, monthly obligation and payment channels.
What happens to unused permit fees after a transfer?
LMRA's current fee rules describe partial refunds for remaining months in specified transfer cases, with exceptions. Check the exact permit and establishment account rather than assuming every unused month is refundable.
Where should I verify the latest amount?
Open the exact service in LMRA's employer directory and compare it with the generated invoice. The service page and invoice are more reliable than an undated fee summary.