Taking a Job in Bahrain? Verify the Work Permit Before Starting

Checked on 20 October 2026. If a Bahrain employer asks you to arrive as a visitor and start immediately, check the immigration position before your first shift. A job offer is evidence of an agreement; it is not the work permit itself.

Confirm the actual permission

LMRA's published worker guidance says expatriates recruited from abroad must obtain the official employer-linked permit before arrival. It warns that employment on a visit visa can lead to penalties and deportation.

The current New Work Permit service allows employers to apply for expatriate employees under their commercial registrations. After approval, the employer pays through the designated channels and prints the permit from the Expat Management System.

Ask for the application reference and, once issued, the permit. Check the named employer and personal details instead of relying on a screenshot saying that a payment was made.

Who bears the permit fees?

LMRA's worker guidance places the relevant permit and health-insurance fees on the employer and prohibits payment or benefits from a worker to the employer in exchange for issuance or renewal. An unexplained request to buy your own permission from the employer deserves direct verification with LMRA.

Keep an independent record

LMRA's expatriate-employee page links to employee-data services, the Expat Portal and other support procedures. Use those official routes to check the information available about your own status.

Keep your contract, application reference and permit together. If the employer, role or proposed start date changes, ask which process must be completed before working. Do not interpret this as a guarantee that a visitor can convert status inside Bahrain; that is a separate eligibility question for the authorities.