Bahrain Visa Process - My Experience

Hi,

Check your eligibility here : https://www.evisa.gov.bh/VISA/visaInput … &A0S=a

T&R

T&R
I can apply for a tourist visa online and the requirements would be.
Cooy of return ticket,passport photo page ,copy of hotel booking,copy of bank statement  and GCC visit visa

I am confuse what is GCC visit visa and how could I get that one .Thanks

Hi,

GCC Visitor Evisa category is applicable to anyone if they have a visit visa for other GCC (UAE/OMAN/KUWAIT) else you cannot apply.

T&R

This is very helpful. Can someone help me where I can get someone doing visit visa for kenyan nationalities. Thanks in advance.

This is very helpful. Can someone help me where I can get someone doing visit visa for kenyan nationalities. Thanks in advance.

Hi,

Check your eligibility here https://www.evisa.gov.bh/VISA/visaInput … &A0S=a

T&R

Dear All.

I would like to ask to all of you one short question, I work in Saudi and I am planning to bring to Bahrain to my Sister an Mother, they are coming from Venezuela, I already checked and they could apply for the eVisa, but I need to pay for the Visas with my Credit Card, is that Possible? Can I pay with my Card the eVisas for my Sister and Mom?

Your help will be very appreciated.

Kind Regards.

Jhonny

Yes, you should be able to pay for their evisa.

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Hi all
I am from india working in kuwait and i got job in baharain just i wanted to know
1. if medical done from kuwait then is it possible tht i can travel from india.

2. What is the validity of work visa i.e last date to enter Bahrain after getting work visa. Actually in my current company in Kuwait,  notice period is 3 month.
please suggest me

Hi,

Please contact your potential employer in Bahrain, he should be able to give you accurate answers for the questions.

T&R

I have a problem in applying visit visa in evisa bahrain . I went last november 29, 2017 and went back to jeddah last december 3, 2017 . When im applying it says that unable to process at this time. I used multiple visa at that time and it will expired after 3months from the first tym i entry bahrain. Now its already 90 days since that day but still i cant process may visa i already went to bahrain embassy here in jeddah but they cant figure out whats wrong with my visa. I am really desperate right now cause i cant retract my vacation. And i want to know the reason why i cant process it and when it will be if i want a new visa? Hope i will find answer in this group thanks a lot .

Guys,
I need to have a sample NOC letter.....can any one help me on this please. If willing to do so, send in word format..... million tnx....Biju

NOC for what exactly?

stating no isues for a job change

I am struggling to understand.

Who has to give that NOC?
For what purpose?

If it is an employer who has to give NOC for worker to transfer visa; that can be given in the system through mobility. 

Either way, it is not complicated enough to require a template.  Address it to whoever e.g. LMRA.  Put subject "NOC for xyz".  Put one or two lines below detailing passport number, CPR no and what you want.  And at the end, sign with your CPR/Passport number listed.

Sry for the trouble

company has to give the employee NOC to get his visa transferred to his new employer. I am asking this because, I am new in Bahrain and the guy handling this job is on vacation to India.

If I can get a copy of given letter format....that can be more easy.... erase all the names and just keep the facts on it...

tnx
BM

Unfortunately, I don't have a template.  I have always just typed it out when I needed to.  If it is a company, the only three things that MUST be ensured are:

1) On letterhead
2) Stamped with company stamp
3) Signed by either responsible or authorized person who is registered with LMRA

Hi ,
Is it possible to transfer visit visa to work visa?or after getting the job,do i have to exit the country?

It is possible. Visa must be valid for at least 7 days at the time of the application to LMRA.

Hi,
Thank you for the reply ,i have one more doubt.
Is there any category visa called transferable visa,which is more expensive than usual one?

No

Hi Dears,
Thank you for all your experience sharing - it was very useful for me during my relocation to Bahrain. Now it's my turn to do the same.

Timelines
My current employment is not the intra-company transfer from one affiliate to another. Perhaps, in the latter case your timelines for employment will be different.
I had the 1st and 2nd inverviews in Sep-Oct 2017, then face2face interview was in Dec 2017, job offer received beginning 2018, relocation to Bahrain in mid Feb 2018.
My employer applied for the business visa in Oct 2017 only with the 1st page of my passport. It was rejected, then employer applied for the second time and I got visa mid Nov 2017. This visa is valid for 30 days, so you have almost 1 month to visit Bahrain for short-term.
Once job offer was signed, I collected the documents for work visa: 1) Medical Check Up Form; 2) copy of the 1st passport page; then employer applied for the work visa.
Medical Check Up
You need to do medical check up either at one of the accreditied hospitals or at any hospital in your country depending on your country of origin. Medical check up includes physical exam, ECG, vital signs, chest X-ray, ophthalmologist, lab tests (stool, blood test, HIV, HCV, HBsAg, VDRL, urine). You provide scanned copy of the filled form for your employer so he can apply for visa. Form is provided by employer.

Obtaining of Work Visa
Usually it takes longer than 1-10 b/days, normally it is up to 4 weeks. You can track status of your visa on LMRA official site by passport number. Take along print out of your visa while travelling to Bahrain.

Arrival at Airport
You need to go to the different officer, not for short-term visit. Officer will take your photo, signature and provide the form for medical check up with hospital, date and time of your appointment. In my case it was on the day after tomorrow after my arrival. Again, vital signs, chest x-ray, blood and urine test. As I was the 1st visitor at 7 am, it took 15'. Other people say that it can take 1-1,5 hrs depending on the time of appointment.
Result is available on the next day on eGovernment web-page. Your employer can get it on-line to proceed with your employment documents.

CPR (local ID) 
You need CPR to open bank account, to get local driving license etc. If you already have your permanent address in Bahrain (e.g. address of your apartment), it will be stated in your profile for CPR. If you do not have address, then it can be address of your employer. Address can be changed later on if there is a need.
My employer did CPR for me, I got it on the 3rd week of stay in Bahrain. Normally it will take 2-3 weeks.

Driving License
Depending on your country of origin, you will be able to drive with your driving license or will need to change it at the Traffic Police office. It takes 1 h (fill in the form, check of vision and color vision, payment of 26,5 BD and you get your local driving license).
Advise: 1) take your photo 3 x 4 or 3,5 x 4,5 cm MANDATORY, there is no place to take the photo near Traffic Police office; 2) preferably pay 26,5 BD by card otherwise you will need to go to the special machine etc., otherwise you can pay at the officer's desk without queue.
Even if you are told that you have to pass driving exam from the very beginning to get the local license, DO NOT BE AFRAID to go directly to the Traffic Police Office, they will check for you. No worries especially if you have > 5 yrs of driving experience.

Renting the car
Even if you need to flip your driving license, you can rent a car for 1 month with your local one. Another option is to ask somebody (colleague/friend) to rent a car as the 1st driver and you will be as the 2nd driver. Sure, you will pay all costs. Once you get Bahraini license, you can change the rental agreement at the next payment.


That's all for now and wish you happy arrival and stay at Bahrain! Enjoy!

Thanks for the update!

Thank you ZoVaGu, for the detailed post.

hello everyone, how is it going? I am a nurse and I got a job offer from a hospital in bahrain, I started to give all the needed documents that they need 2nd week of january, I also had a preliminary medical exam from a gamca accredited clinic here in our country, the agency that handles my documents told me that my employer needs to apply me for dataflow, then nhra application then followed by the visa processing. Its my 3rd month waiting and they told me that they are still waiting for my dataflow result. I had a dataflow verification 2 years ago from saudi council. My question is what is the estimated time for me to wait? Ive been unemployed quite some time and I have bills to pay as well. should I wait for the process or just cancel my application? thank you in advance for those who will reply ❤

Understand the pressure on you but the above has nothing to do with the visa process.  It is related to data flow.

I was offered a position with a big 4 consulting firm. I accepted the email offer and they were going to provide an official offer letter for me to sign. When it didn't arrive, I asked and they said they had to first check if visas were available in Bahrain. It has been 4 months, and every time I've asked for an update, they've said "No update, there are no visas available for Bahrain at this time".

They further said "it appears to be a regional issue. Getting a visa for an expat is becoming difficult in the entire GCC region now".

Can anyone verify if this is true? I understand there is push to cut costs and a tendency to hire more locals and fewer expats, but is it really the case across the entire region?

Localisation has always been at the forefront of GCC policies and nowadays, Saudi and Oman are really pushing for it.  But having said that, there is NO issue in getting visas for expats if your company plans for it and definitely none in Bahrain. 

If there is an issue, it is an issue with the company i.e. they have finished their quota or failed to meet localisation targets.  The Big 4 are particularly vulnerable as they provide a lot of headcount to Saudi projects while basing them in Bahrain (they don't have the visas in Saudi itself) and hence tend to run out of visas quickly.

So in short, they are quoting nonsense to disguise the issues at their end.

hello again. for the medical process, do they need a copy of all the lab test reports or the filled medical form will do?

Depends on where you are coming from; if GAMCA countries, then GAMCA number and you select the clinic.  If from within GCC, you choose others in EMS.  All relevant documents need to be uploaded which is medical form plus lab reports.  I am surprised that your employer isn't answering any of these questions for you?

They do. However, sometimes it took a long time for them to respond to emails; the earliest normally within 5 to 7 days (maybe HR is busy.,not sure) And when they do, there are some details that seem a little vague to me so have to always clarify with them. Good thing there is this forum.

Once again, thanks Sir Xtang for always answering my questions. God bless to you Sir. 😊

Just an update. Already got our visa on the 4th day after it was filed. So currently I am just finishing 30-day service in uae.

however, I have a question. Will it not cause an issue in Bahrain if my visa in uae is not cancelled? My boss here is telling me that he will just cancel my visa here later that way if i have issues in my new work I can still come back. So was wondering if it is okay to have 2 active visas in gcc. thanks!

It is a grey area but it is more of a problem at the time of visa issuance and more from UAE side, not Bahrain.  You got the Bahrain visa after UAE so no issues.  I had two for a long time.   And I am talking about work visas not investor or other types.

thanks again sir!😁

Hello,  I have given a medical test at middle East hospital . After a week I called them they said LMRA sent back medical report by saying it for further investigation from Al Razi Hospital. Does it means I  am unfit.  They said only chest x ray report. Do I have to visit Al Razi and find a solution. My CPR is done my Family is here on visit visa and my kids got admission in the school. I am worried kindly give your valuable feed back what could happen next. Thanks

They will do the x-ray again and if need be, sputum test to rule out TB.  Hopefully all will go well.

Thanks X, I visited MEH today met with Dr. He said LMRA requested CD OF my x ray. You gave me hope, since I am sure I never had TB in my life. I had investigated this scar with a specialist in India in 2001 , that's only reason of  childhood pneumonia not any TB.I wish they do all positive and I  am ready to give any test. Thanks again dear..

Unfotunatley they posted NOT FIT. But they didn't call or sent the email to employer.  What is the difference between NOT FIT and UNFIT.  What shall I do now to keep my visa alive. Worried

I am sorry to tell you but if marked UNFIT, your visa will be cancelled and your employer will be asked to deport you. They have no choice as their CR will be blocked until they do.

As far as I know, both terms mean the same thing.