Immigration
Sponsored residence with a self-sponsored Golden Residency
Residence is normally employer-sponsored through the LMRA. The Golden Residency introduced in 2022 gives indefinite self-sponsored residence to qualifying applicants.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs, and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority for work permits.
- Deadline — Residence permits generally valid 1 to 2 years and renewable
- Deadline — Golden Residency is indefinite subject to continuing conditions
Governing law
- Law 11 of 1963 on Residence and Immigration
- Golden Residency Visa scheme 2022
- Flexi Permit scheme 2017
In practice
Bahrain's Golden Residency is indefinite rather than fixed-term, which distinguishes it from the UAE's ten-year Golden Visa, and it is open to long-term residents, property owners above a value threshold, retirees with sufficient pension income and highly skilled workers. The Flexi Permit sits below it as a self-sponsored route for lower-paid workers, so Bahrain has decoupled residence from a single employer at both ends of the income scale. Naturalisation is possible in principle after long residence but is discretionary and politically sensitive.