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Bahrain residency permit: Expats can enable renewal when overseas

The residency and work permit can be renewed through Bahrain’s Expatriate Management System or official Labour Market Regularly Authority channels

by Gulf Business

September 4, 2023

Bahrain residency permit: Expats can enable renewal when overseas image Getty Images

Image: Getty Images/ Giuseppe Cacace

According to a recent report by the Bahrain News Agency, Interior Ministry’s Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA), Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, launched the service for renewing residency and work permits for expatriates when they are outside Bahrain.

The development applies to expats working in the commercial and government sectors, registered labourers and domestic workers. The service is delivered in coordination with the Labour Market Regularly Authority (LMRA).

The service can be obtained via the National Portal of Bahrain if the residency permit is renewed. The work permit could be renewed through the Expatriate Management System or official LMRA channels.

The NPRA Undersecretary stated that the development and modernisation proceed in cooperation with the government and private organisations, hailing cooperation with the LMRA to provide many facilities.

Service to help renew work and residency permits before expiry if outside Bahrain

Meanwhile, the LMRA CEO, Nibras Mohammed Talib said that the service would allow employers to renew their employees’ work permits outside the kingdom online, while the renewing process should be before the expiry date.

He pointed out that this step is within the framework of accelerating the pace of work and meeting the needs of business owners and investors for expatriate workers.

The employer will also be able to renew the work permit through the Expatriate Management System by choosing the duration of the work permit and completing the payment process, in addition to the employer’s ability to complete the renewal process and pay the fees determined by visiting one of the banks licensed by the LMRA.

Kingdom issue golden licences in June

In other news, the kingdom granted its first ‘golden licences’, offering incentives and streamlined services to foreign and local companies that have made large-scale investment projects into the country worth more than $1.4bn.

The licences were awarded to Citi, Eagle Hills Diyar, Infracorp, Saudi Telecommunication Company (stc) and Whampoa Group. Economic Development Board (EDB), the country’s investment body, said companies eligible to obtain golden licences created more than 500 local jobs or pledged investments of more than $50m in their first years in Bahrain while contributing to strengthening the country’s overall development.