"Must do" things before relcating to Bahrain

My advice would be don't close everything off in case things don't work out for you in Bahrain. Just wait for your probation period to be over. You can then look at closing bank accounts etc.

I would advise not to close the main accounts back home in any case. Maintain them since it will be good for your relationship with your bankers.

Remitting funds from Bahrain is quite simple. There are number of reputed exchange houses and all of them provide an efficient fund transfer service.

There is no direct taxation on your income in Bahrain, other than 1% of basic pay - which goes towards the unemployment fund administered by the Bahrain Government. Hence your tax planning should be reasonably straight forward. This, however, would also depend on whether the Government of your country charges tax on income earned outside the country. (My country does not tax income earned outside the country and I believe its the same with your country as well.)

You will need original certificates. If any of your certificates are not in English, then a notarized/certified translation will be required.

There is also an excellent guide already prepared by some of our senior contributors. You should check that out since most questions are answered in it. Here is the link: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=231960

Welcome to Bahrain. I am sure you will like it here. Best wishes.

Guys, thanks for your suggestions .. Yes, I agree on the Bank accounts and that is something I need to consider after my probation period with the organization as things would be very clear by that time.

Welcome to Bahrain Suneel. Farhaaz and brightonguy replied you well and that's all you need. however if you have something specific to ask you are always welcome.

I've been in Bahrain quite a while now but I haven't closed my bank account, my doctors, dentist or anything back in the UK as you never know what the future brings. I appreciate things are different in India but leave open as many doors as you can.

Good luck and hope we all get to meet you soon

Safe Journey to Bahrain

Thanks guys for your valuable opinions ! I appreciate it !

I'm just nervous as this is the first time I'm going to stay away from family and I need to ensure things are taken care in a planned way and thats the whole reason of starting this thread.

Anyways, I'm following couple of threads on what to bring and what not and I;m able to gather good information.

If there is anyone who went through  A similar situation like mine, just buzz me with any checklist or any information you have.

As I leave lot of my friends behind in India, it gives me a opportunity to make New friends and I'm looking forward to meet you all guys.

Take care,

Sandy

You will be just fine and India isn't too far away - just make sure your family/friends have viber on their phones or skype on their pc so you get free calls etc

haha.... very true India isn't far but the airfare creates that buzz ... Is whatsapp messenger app blocked ?

No whatsapp works just fine here but doesn't obviously have the call feature.

Bahrain's Internet blockage is pretty relaxed compared to the other countries in the region. That doens't mean the websites are not blocked though. You will find many VPN websites are blocked (but accessing the VPN servers are not - so make sure you get your VPN sorted before you move to Bahrain. It's not the end of the world if you forget - there are still ways to access them), adult websites and some political websites are blocked. But when it comes to websites like Facebook, YouTube or apps like Skype, What'sApp, Viber etc. they all work as of this moment...

Hi All,

I am from India. I will be relocating to Manama, Bahrain very soon with my family.

Like many other members in this blog, my concerns are also not different.

It helped me a lot to clear most of the doubts after going through the responses of the members. But, just to add up with them, I would like to know about accomodation and living expenses in the city. My employer will be paying me a part as HRA, which I believe is a break up most of the employers provide.

Another concern is about a job for my wife. She works as an engineering lecture in India, a job which she loves. I can see openings in some job websites but don't know the formalities.

And finally, I believe that it is a good country to work and live when comparing to many other  countries in the middle east.

Request you all to guide me which will definitely help me.

Thanks,
Livestrong4ever

Hi livestrong

The cost of living question has been covered quite extensively over the past few weeks. Please do take the time to go through those posts if you can.

Re: your wife - there are a few universities and institutes here who may need lecturing staff. Only need to warn you and her - she may not land a job as soon as you get there. It takes time to settle and find your way around. And jobs for the wife will take time. As an indicator - my wife was unemployed for about 1 year after we first moved to Bahrain. Eventually she did find employment and is now very happy with the work she does here.

Best wishes to you both.

Hi Farhaz,

Thanks very much for response.

I actually thought living expense is less when comparing to other ME countries. Something which my employer also promised me. But,now Im worried after reading your comments. Hope I could manage.

I have one more thing came up in my mind. I believe that degree certificates need to be attested for bahrain work visa but my employer mentioned that this may not be needed though I could see this in various websites. Please advise if you know anything about this.

Regards,
Livestrong

degree certificates being attested is for the employer to decide. You have to have them done if you work in Saudi but for Bahrain it is up to the individual employer. Just make sure you have your certificates with you. If your employer wants them attested then he can organise and pay for it. cost of living is reasonable here but the topic is covered to death so we don't need to go over it again, please read other topics and the guide regarding this.

If you have any other questions which are not answered in the forum, feel free to create a new topic.