What the government takes, not what we take
These are the fees the competent authorities publish, gathered on one page. They are not the office’s charges: they are settled at their prescribed value and the receipt is issued in the company’s name. Every table carries its source and the date it was read.
One foreign worker, first year
In a company with five foreign workers or fewer, on a one-year commercial permit.
| Item | Authority | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| One-year permit package, basic health care included | LMRA | 195 BHD |
| Monthly fee · 7.5 × 12 months | LMRA | 90 BHD |
| Fixed amount in the first year | 285 BHD |
On top of it come the charges computed on the wage rather than per head: 3% work-injury contribution from the employer, and 4.2% a month towards the end-of-service benefit for the first 3 years. The identity card, any regulated-activity fee, and anything an authority imposes on a particular case sit outside this example, because they differ from case to case.
Past five workers, each further worker costs 12.5 BHD a month rather than 7.5.
Registration fees
| Item | Authority | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Security approval for the partners | Nationality, Passports and Residence | No fee |
| Reserving the trade name | Industry and Commerce | No fee |
| Issue of the commercial registration | Industry and Commerce | 50 BHD |
| Licensing the first three activities | Industry and Commerce | 100 BHD |
| Drawing up and notarising the memorandum | Justice | 100 BHD |
| Municipal approval of the address | Municipality | 10 BHD |
| Application fee | Industry and Commerce | 20 BHD |
| Total government fees on formation | 280 BHD | |
| Keeping the registration in force | Industry and Commerce | 166 BHD a year |
These figures are confirmed by Al Qabas from settling them. They are set by the authorities and may change by their decision.
Labour Market Regulatory Authority fees
The whole package by period
| Period | Package |
|---|---|
| Six months | 97.5 BHD |
| One year | 195 BHD |
| Two years | 390 BHD |
The monthly fee
| Band | Per worker |
|---|---|
| For each of the first five workers | 7.5 BHD |
| For each worker from the sixth onward | 12.5 BHD |
| Late payment | 2 a month, capped at 6 |
| Single items | Fee |
|---|---|
| Work permit: issue, renewal or transfer — one year | 105 BHD |
| Basic health care — one year | 90 BHD |
| Visit visa converted to a work permit | 250 BHD |
| Change of occupation — per application | 10 BHD |
| Permit outside the Bahrainisation rate — one year, optional | 250 BHD |
Source: the fees page on the Labour Market Regulatory Authority’s website, last updated 2025-12-31.
Shares of the wage, not flat amounts
| Category | Employer | Employee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bahraini employee | 18% | 8% | 26% |
| Expatriate employee | 3% | 1% | 4% |
| End-of-service benefit · first 3 years | 4.2% | ||
| End-of-service benefit · beyond | 8.4% |
The rates apply from 2026-01-01, and the end-of-service benefit for a foreign worker from 2024-03-01. The Social Insurance Organisation is the final reference.
The investor, the visitor and the card
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Investor residency · Application fee, non-refundable | 5 BHD |
| Investor residency · Two-year residence permit | 200 BHD |
| Investor residency · Five-year residence permit | 400 BHD |
| Investor residency · Ten-year residence permit | 600 BHD |
| Investor residency · Visa transfer | 250 BHD |
| Investor residency · processing time | 40 working days |
| Dependant permit for spouse and children · 3 working days | 90 BHD |
| Golden residency · 10 years, application then issue, per person | 5 + 300 BHD |
| Visit visa · Two weeks, single entry | 13 BHD |
| Visit visa · Multiple entry, three months | 29 BHD |
| Visit visa · Multiple entry, three months — for GCC residents | 29 BHD |
| Visit visa · Family visit | 39 BHD |
| Visit visa · Multiple entry, five years | 64 BHD |
| Identity card · non-Bahraini | 10 BHD |
| Identity card · Bahraini | 2 BHD |
Note: GCC nationals need no visa and pay no fee; they enter on their national identity card. The fees below apply to everyone else.
Source: the government services directory on the national portal bahrain.bh, read on
2026-09-09. Investor residency also requires a share in
the company, a stable income and medical insurance; its conditions are in the
investor residency guide.
How these fees reach you
Settled at their value
The office pays the fee to the authority on the company’s behalf, then bills it at the value the authority prescribes.
The receipt is in the company’s name
The official receipt issues in the company’s name, not the office’s, so it stands as an accounting document in its books.
Outside the office’s fee
The office’s own fees are published on the subscription page and the formation packages page, and none of these fees sits inside them.
The authority is the reference
The figures above were read from the authorities on the dates stated and change by their decision. The competent authority is the final reference for any fee.
What is asked about the fees
The answers are built from the tables above, so they cannot drift from them.
What are the government fees to form a company in Bahrain?
280 BHD on the ordinary route: 50 to issue the commercial registration, 100 to license the first three activities, 100 to draw up and notarise the memorandum, 10 for municipal approval and 20 to file. Security approval and the trade-name reservation carry no fee. These are the authorities’ fees, not the office’s.
What does keeping a commercial registration in force cost each year?
166 BHD a year on the ordinary route. Some regulated activities carry additional fees.
What does one work permit cost in its first year?
285 BHD fixed: 195 BHD for the one-year permit package including basic health care, and the monthly fee of 7.5 BHD across twelve months. On top come the charges on the wage: 3% for work injury and 4.2% a month towards the end-of-service benefit.
What is the monthly work permit fee at the Labour Market Regulatory Authority?
Two bands: 7.5 BHD for each of the first five workers and 12.5 BHD for each worker from the sixth onward. Late payment costs 2 BHD a month, capped at 6.
What are the social insurance contribution rates?
For a Bahraini employee 18% from the employer and 8% from the employee. For a foreign worker 3% and 1% for work injury. The end-of-service benefit carries a separate monthly contribution: 4.2% for the first 3 years and 8.4% thereafter.
What are the conditions and fees for investor residency?
Conditions: A share in the company of no less than 100,000 BHD; A stable income of 500 BHD or more; A valid medical insurance certificate issued in Bahrain; A certificate of good conduct. Fees: 200 BHD for two years, 400 for five and 600 for ten, with a non-refundable application fee of 5. Processing takes 40 working days.
What does a visit visa to Bahrain cost?
Two weeks, single entry: 13 BHD; Multiple entry, three months: 29 BHD; Multiple entry, three months — for GCC residents: 29 BHD; Family visit: 39 BHD; Multiple entry, five years: 64 BHD. GCC nationals need no visa and pay no fee; they enter on their national identity card. The fees below apply to everyone else.
Are government fees included in the office’s charge?
No. The office pays the fee to the authority on the company’s behalf, then bills it at the value the authority prescribes, and the official receipt issues in the company’s name. The office’s own fees are published separately on the subscription and formation pages.
Working out your own cost
Send your activity and your headcount, and we set out what belongs to the authorities and what to the office, item by item.