Accomodation in Manama

Welcome to the forum

Pls find my comments below:

1 - My office would be based in Sanabis, Manama. Where do you think it would be convenient to get a studio or 1 bed apartment nearby, considering I wont have driving license/car during initial days?
"Sanabis its self is ok, Seef area is nearby & better but anyway take in consideration that these areas have a some unrest issues
"
2 - What are terms of rental in Manama? How much down payment is required? Do they accept 12 cheques or 4 (quarterly payment)?
"You have to pay 2 or 3 months in advance then monthly payment"
3 - How long does it takes to open a bank account after your arrival in Bahrain? " it takes 2 weeks to get your CPR(Bahrain ID) then you can open bank account".

In terms of location to live, Sannabis can have some troubled times but Seef is safe - but considerably more expensive. But then you won't be able o walk to work from Seef. In fact in summer, you really can't walk more than 5 minutes so you better sort your driving license out as soon as possible.

When you get here, your work can issue a letter most of the time and that paper can set you out until you have a CPR. But having the CPR won't take a long time as mentioned.

Studio / 1 bed rental costs should be around the region of 300BD but it all depends on where you live and what kind of a flat that is. In Seef, you can end up paying 550BD for 1 bed as well. Check bahrainpropertyworld website, it gives you some ideas about the pricing.

Good evening Ashfaqshah and welcome to the forum,

My estimated colleagues answered perfectly to most of your question but just a precision, you cannot live in Sannabis !
Specially if, as your current place of living suggests, you are Pakistani.
It's a very active shi'a village leading to regular clashes with the police and guess what, most of the member of the civil defense are pakistanis ;D

Seef is very close and will be perfect.

Cheers

Olivier

Thank you Sherif, Olivier & brightonguy. I certainly feel more informed. From what I have read on this forum, I believe driving license will take time (classes and test) so as much as I try it really is out of my hands. Till then, is public transport preferred mode of transport for daily commuting or is car pooling a popular option?

Cheers again for your response.

Car pooling is what you will need, or taxi. Public transport does not exist in Bahrain for most places (including Seef).

Folks,

You have all been very helpful. Thanks a lot. Another query. I plan to visit alone initially and my family (wife, 2 kids)will join me about 6 months later. Would it be possible for me to find a smaller apartment for rent(studio or 1 bed) on a short contract (say 6 months). I can move to a bigger appt when my family is here.

So are short contracts rare or non-existent in this market?

Short contracts do exist, although not as common as 1-year contracts. But as an expat, you might be able to get out of the contract if your work issues a paper saying you are leaving the country and you will not work for them anymore. This enables you to get out of the contract, however this is practically fraud. So do at your own risk.

Olivier-France wrote:

Good evening Ashfaqshah and welcome to the forum,

My estimated colleagues answered perfectly to most of your question but just a precision, you cannot live in Sannabis !
Specially if, as your current place of living suggests, you are Pakistani.
It's a very active shi'a village leading to regular clashes with the police and guess what, most of the member of the civil defense are pakistanis ;D

Seef is very close and will be perfect.

Cheers

Olivier

Yu are the best !

Guys,

Any idea how long work permit usually takes in Bahrain? Mine was applied on 3rd Dec. Yesterday my employer called and asked for some additional pages of passport(saying its requirement of Bahrain Security Office). Does it says anything where the process is?

Cheers

Mine took 2 weeks. It's your employer's immaturity not asking for the relevant pages of your passport initially. It hasn't been a long time since you applied, so don't worry. There are too many factors that could potentially affect the period it takes for the application. But nothing sounds unusual so far. Just send the required documents and wait for the results.

Absolutely agree with you Brightonguy. Good news is that I have got the visa. So will be arriving in 8-10 days time. And hope to see you guys someday.

I'm glad it's all sorted. We are meeting in January. You should come.

brightonguy wrote:

I'm glad it's all sorted. We are meeting in January. You should come.

Hi and welcome

The link to the meeting post is here: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=217239

Hope you can make it

Jo

Thank you for the invitation. I will definitely come.