Golden Residence Visa - Is it worth it

Thanks Mdaasif.. Bahrain is an excellent place to live. Good support..

Hi XTang / Mdaasif,

If you get Golden visa then your designation will be changed in visa stamp? and if required you can start your own business also. I can also sponsor for an employee.
what about sponsor for visit visas ?

This designation or visa details update in LMRA or not required. Visa is for 10 years right not more period or less period right. Thanks in advance..

In the visa stamp, the designation is as per the category you applied for i.e. Foreign Employee or Retiree.  The visa is for 10 years.

No, you cannot sponsor an employee yourself.  The business you start sponsors it.   Right now, it is not clear whether Golden visa holders would need to change to investor visa to be able to be on the CR of their companies or not.  Also it is not clear if you can sponsor visit visas yourself or have to go through a company.  In the past, they said that self sponsorship visa holders can sponsor visit visas but that has still not been implemented to-date.

In LMRA, nothing changes when you get the Golden visa. My friends details still show as the same on LMRA express services i.e. employer, title etc.   Again, going forward is not clear but if I link it to other Golden visa programs e.g. UAE, your visa determines your sponsorship only and work related aspects are through a contract with a company.   So the company doesn't sponsor your stay in the country but employs you.

Thank you.. after gol visa, who is the sponsor for your friend .. himself or that company. Any idea? Is he possible to check ? What about his family..

I already answered you.  Read carefully.   He sponsors himself, the employer is the company (shows on LMRA).   Read what I said about the UAE golden visa rules - it is assumed that Bahrain will follow the same.

Also, I have previously answered about the family.  Once you get the visa, you can apply for their visas.

I think you are worrying unnecessarily.   There really isn't an answer for all related issues - this is normal in this part of the world i.e. Governments announce big changes and then the details are dealt with over the following months as issues arise.   And I can tell you that even immigration officials at the Golden visa portal won't know the answers to everything (except family visas).  You can either wait for a few months until all associated complications are clarified or apply and deal with each situation as it arises.

I received the golden residency today. After you pay the fee, wait for an SMS that states your residency is issued. Then go on bahrain.bh > Residency Services and you can download a PDF of your residence permit. I called NPRA and they said there will no longer be a sticker for the RP. The RP PDF file will have a QR code for verification. Once you get your golden visa they said to apply for family on bahrain.bh - using the same Golden Visa request form. For supporting documents you should add a copy of your golden visa and your family member's passport. Hope this helps.

Thank you..Shijaz Need to ask possible to start a business as a partner..

Regarding golden visa for family it will take some time for approval..

Required to update CPR or not ? Thanks

Have you called NPRA on 17077077? They are very helpful. You'll get your answers faster and more reliably than on a forum.

shijaz wrote:

Have you called NPRA on 17077077? They are very helpful. You'll get your answers faster and more reliably than on a forum.

Exactly.

As I keep saying, a lot isn't clear to the general public yet so you can either wait or try to talk to NPRA.

Yes spoke to them. they are very helpful.. Thank you, XTang and shijaz

@XTang 

Hi! I have received my golden visa. However, I am unable to figure out how to apply the same for my immediate family ( wife & Daughter). I have not got the visa stamped on my passport yet, but I could retrieve an electronic copy of the same by logging on to www.bahrain.bh 

Get the visa stamped.  I think you can apply via the NPRA e-forms.  But to make sure, just call NPRA on 17077077 and ask them.  They are very helpful.   And post back what they say. 

Hi,

So I called them and was advised to apply in the ‘same way' as I applied for myself. I tried explaining that the portal does not provides the option of selecting dependent as as category. Also, data field like Employee name does not apply. To this, the person replied that I should print a copy of my Golden Visa from ‘bahrain.bh' and attach scan copy of the same while applying for my family members.

I have since then submitted the visa application for my daughter and have received a ref. Number. I will wait for further update and post accordingly.  

Thanks for the update. 

@XTang 

Update :- 

1) Golden visa application for my daughter got accepted and I received a link to pay ( BD 304) from NPRA.

2) Upon payment of the fee, the ... - @Rohit279

@XTang 

Hi Xtang thanks for the helpful info.  A few questions:

For self-sponsorship, is there any requirement to be present in Bahrain at all to maintain this?  ie it would be possible to hold this just by owning ... - @haglamp

Yes of course. Once golden visa is approved, you will have to cancel retirement visa and stamp that one. The question is, why would you want to?

The retirement visa has a lower income requirement than golden visa, you can also get it for 10 years and plus there is no 90 day stay requirement in Bahrain on that. So in my view, it's not worth it for someone who already has a retirement visa.  The Golden retiree visa is only attractive for people who don't fulfill the 15 years work requirement in the GCC (for normal retirement visa).

- @XTang

I would urge more of us having  a similar requirements of sponsoring dependents to contact NRPA and post response received on this forum. Let's see if the responses are consistent. Issuance of Golden Visa is a fairly new procedure in the Kingdom so many rules / benefits about it are not clear. For example, someone mentioned to me that Golden Visa would allow a visa free travel within the GCC. Frankly, I have not read about this anywhere. 

- @VT@2016

@XTang Hi XTang can you clarify my below question. Allah will bless you.

I received an email to pay 304 BD (my golden visa application is approved).

1) Should I pay 304 BD for each family member?

2) After 10 years, at the time of Golden visa renewal I must reside in Bahrain atleast for 90 days each year to be eligible for renewal? Kindly clarify (please expected clear answers from the ones who received their Golden visa stamped on their passport can answer me please). wats app me on +966541920261

Hi can anyone clarify my question. Allah will bless you.

I received an email to pay 304 BD (my golden visa application is approved).

1) Should I pay 304 BD for each family member?

2) After 10 years, at the time of Golden visa renewal I must reside in Bahrain atleast for 90 days each year to be eligible for renewal? Kindly clarify (please expected clear answers from the ones who received their Golden visa stamped on their passport can answer me please).

@XTang Hi can you clarify my question. Allah will bless you.

I received an email to pay 304 BD (my golden visa application is approved).

1) Should I pay 304 BD for each family member?

2) After 10 years, at the time of Golden visa renewal I must reside in Bahrain atleast for 90 days each year to be eligible for renewal? Kindly clarify (please expected clear answers from the ones who received their Golden visa stamped on their passport can answer me please).

You would need to pay for each Golden visa as far as I am aware.

The second part is not clear i.e. is it 90 days each year or you have to stay an average of 90 days per year over 10 years (i.e. stay more in one year and less in another) or is it 90 days in the last year only. Even the people who got Golden visa stamped will not know the answer to that as no one would have gone through the renewal process yet - too early. I would be surprised if even NPRA would give you a definitive answer yet...........the tendency is to announce and then deal with procedural issues as they arise later.   Right now, if you call them, they will say 90 days in each year...............but a colleague called them saying that "If I am not here for 90 days in the second and third year but then I am living in Bahrain full time for the next 7 years, what does it mean for my Golden visa?"  and they had no clear answer.

In the UAE (before they removed this requirement), if you were out of the UAE for more than x days, your visa would be automatically cancelled. Bahrain has no such requirement in place for any visa i.e. they will only check it on renewal after 10 year and hence, the calculation method as well as how they would deal with exceptions. would be important.

My gut feel says that they will eventually remove this requirement (following UAE), for at least the property and retirement based visas, if not the salary one.   The salary one would be simple anyway i.e. if someone loses their job, doesn't get a new one in Bahrain (gets it outside Bahrain) and doesn't fulfill the 90 days a year requirement.........the visa won't be renewed............it's simple as it was given on the basis of salary derived through work INSIDE Bahrain.

In the category of talented individuals, one of the required documents is to have a valid health insurance in Bharain. If someone is applying from outside Bahrain. Is it still required as the applicant is not yet in Bahrain?

If it is required then what are possible options for such insurance.?