Frequently Asked Questions

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Tourism lists several new Investment opportunities periodically at the "Invest in Bahrain" Forum, it covers different aspects like Metal, Petrochemical, Food & others.
You can view the Investments opportunities of previous forums by visiting the MOIC website http://www.moic.gov.bh/ or contacting Industrial Development Directorate.

No. the Bahrain-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) does not have an expiry date. For more information about FTA, please visit the link http://www.moic.gov.bh/fta/bah/ui/pages/faq.aspx.htm Or Please contact the Directorate of Foreign Trade Relations on :
Telephone: +973 17574821
Fax: +973 17532090
Email: halkhalifa@moic.gov.bh , MDAYLAMI@moic.gov.bh

The foreign trade statistics of Bahrain is published by the Central Informatics Organization and can be found at the Bahrain Open Date Portal on the following link: http://www.data.gov.bh/

• E-promotion for products and services
• E-development and support services
• Consultancy in eCommerce
• Certification service provider

• Choose the commercial name
• Choose one of the activities related to eCommerce
• Choose the legal structure according to the provisions of the Commercial Companies Law of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the event of the establishment of a company
• Apply for a CR
• Approval the licensing from relevant official bodies
• The issuance of the CR

Electronic commerce, commonly known as E-commerce or eCommerce, is a type of commercial activity where the buying and selling of products or services is conducted over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. eCommerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems.

Requirements can be found in BLIS web site for each activity http://www.business.gov.bh/

Bahrain joint stock companies public and closed, With Limited Liability Company, single person company and Limited Partnership By Shares.

The Audited financial report should be filed during six months of the financial year end date, signed by Chairman of the Board of Directors and a member ( for Bahrain joint stock companies public and closed) & must be signed on behalf of the directors by two directors ( for With Limited Liability Company, single person company, foreign branch, Limited Partnership By Shares)

1. The financial report to be issued by the Audit firm licensed by the Ministry of Industry, commerce and Tourism.
2. Prepared in accordance with international standards for the preparation and presentation of financial statements
3. Contain the opinion of the auditor
4. Stamped by the office issuing the report or signed by an accredited auditor registered with the Ministry of Industry, commerce and Tourism.
5. Signed by the chairman and another member or managers, accept the signature of one person in the case of one-person companies.
6. Includes the name of the company and business registration number and date of issuance of the report and the company's fiscal year
7. Be a certified report by the auditor and not the draft.
8. Include all the branches of the company.

Companies that did not conduct their activities from the date of completion of the procedures established or stopped exercising without an acceptable excuse for more than a calendar year connected on the basis of Article 320 of the Commercial Companies Law, based on the decision No. (37) for the year 2008 under the Commercial Companies.

1. Bank statement for the company.
2. the latest electricity bill of the company
3. A copy of the lease contract.
4. Photos of
5. billboard (signboard)
6. The minister resolution to re-activate the company.
7. A recent financial report proves the existence of the company's capital.

1. Agenda for the Annual General Meeting
2. Minutes of the previous meeting.
3. List of Board of Directors & their position
4. Management letter from the auditor.
5. The Directors Report for the year end.
6. The Audited Financial Statements for the year end.
7. Corporate Governance Report
8. Sample of the AGM/EGM notice to the shareholders/

BSMD regulates a number of consumer products to ensure that products are safe and comply with the requirements set out in the relevant regulation.
• Motor vehicles (On road vehicles only)
• Tires for Passenger Cars, trucks, & buses
• Car batteries - Lead , acid between (6-12 voltage)
• Spare parts products should not contain any asbestos materials
• Children's toy (Under 14 years only )
• Cement
• Weighing Scales , Weights , Measuring Tapes & Meters
• Non-Directional Household Lamps
• Air Conditions ( up to 5.83 ton )
• Low Voltage electrical Equipment & Appliances
• Motorcycles and motorcycle Tires.

For more information regarding conformity assessment requirements and procedures, please refer to the following link: http://www.moic.gov.bh/En/Commerce/StandardizationConsumerProtection/StandardsMetrologyDirectorate

Standards & Metrology Directorate is concerned with providing information required &/or purchasing of National standards, Gulf Standards(GSO), International Standards (ISO), British Standards (BSI), And International Electro technical Commission Standards (IEC) The purchasing section provides the scope and information required prior to your purchase, prices are given in Bahraini Dinars (according to the exchange rate ) For more information, you can also contact us on:
Tel: 17574871
Fax: 17530730
email: bsmd@moic.gov.bh

Metrology section within the BSMD conducts periodic verification on weighing and length tools and instruments under legal metrology. Verification and hallmarking of (electronic balances, self-indication, spring, platform , weighbridges, beam ) effected every year , where the verification and hallmarking of balances with base & pans ,weights , solid liner measures effected every two year. Also BSMD offers Calibration services for weighing and length instruments of industrial companies, customers can contact us through:
Tel: 17574899
Fax: 17530730
Email: bsmd@moic.gov.bh

The Department is competent in coordination and cooperation with concerned bodies supervising the implementation of the consumer protection law and decisions implementing thereof to facilitate consumer access to products with acceptable quality and favorable price, protection of commercial fraud and harmful monopolistic practices.

The Consumer Protection Directorate concentrates on complaints received against commercial sector and solve it as possible according to the laws and regulations. this covers all complaints with regards to products and services, except for medicines, healthy foods and health products authorized to be imported by the concerned authority at the Ministry of Health that are sold in pharmacies and health centers licensed, as well as services provided by self-employed and professionals involved in freelance jobs like medicine field, engineering, law and insurance.

The consumer can file a complaint through the following steps and channels:
• Through Tawasul system at eGovernment portal http://www.bahrain.bh/
• Through National Contact Center 80008001 or Consumer Protection call center 17007003
• Visiting the consumer protection directorate.

A "consumer" is every natural or corporate person who obtains products to satisfy his/its needs or requirements of persons belonging thereto.

An Application for registration a trademark must be submit directly to the Trademark Office in the Industrial Property Directorate.

Anyone who has a business or industry in the Kingdom of Bahrain or any of the member countries of the Paris Union or countries in which citizens enjoy national treatment under bilateral agreements or international force in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The trade mark is register for 10 years, and can then be renew every 10 years.

A patent shall be granted to any invention which is new, involves an inventive step and industrially applicable.

A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which may be a product or a process that provides a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem.

Patent protection means that the invention cannot be commercially made, used, distributed, imported or sold by others without the patent owner's consent.

Through National Patent Office, Industrial Property.

20 Years from the day of filing.

An industrial design is any composition of lines and colors ,or any three-dimensional form whether or not associated with colors.

1. It is novel and filed independently.
2. it is applicable in industry and craft, and gives special appearance to an industrial or craft product.
3. it is not disclosed to the public in the Kingdom of Bahrain or elsewhere by any means.

The protection period of an industrial design shall be for a period of 10 years as from the date of filing the registration application in the Kingdom. The protection shall be extended for a further period of 5 years, when the right holder applies for renewal within the last year of the protection period.

1. Assaying & hallmarking of Precious Metals articles.
2. Certification of Gemstones, Pearls and diamond.
3. Market Surveillance.
4. Technical support to local Jewellery sector.
5. Consultation.
6. Educating the public and trade.

No, it is banned by law. However, you can purchase cultured pearls from outside Bahrain for personal use only.

Consumers should not accept invitations from companies that their activities are built on pyramid & networking marketing, as the Ministerial Resolution No. (2) for the year 2015 was issued which prohibits the pyramid & networking marketing.

Shops are not entitled to charge additional amounts to the amount paid for purchasing a good or service, as the Ministerial Resolution No. (109) for the year 2015 was issued which prohibits charging customers additional amounts to the consumer bill when buying with credit cards.

No, such facilities are not to charge service charges on customers, as the issuance of the Ministerial Resolution No. (64) for the year 2016 was issued and prohibits the imposition of additional sums of money to the consumer bill when providing food services and beverages in restaurants and cafes that has no tourism license.

Yes, except in the case of the applicant owned an apartment through the service provided by the association.

BD. 600 (Basic salary + Fixed allowances).
The application must be evaluated and approved by the Housing Committee.

Yes.

Age between 21 to 50 years old.

Minimum BD. 320 and a maximum of BD. 1200 (Basic salary + Fixed allowances) for applicant only, Or for the couple if the loan request is joint with the wife’s income.

According to the applicant's salary and his wife's salary in case of (combined application).

No, loans are granted twice a year in June and December of each year.

This is up to Eskan Bank, as the approval is to be submitted to Eskan Bank to evaluate the family income and deductions, and then the bank will make the decision not the ministry.

To submit the required documents that are mentioned in the application form.

To submit the same documents required for the purchasing loan, in addition to the plot documents and the plot should not be mortgaged to any other bank as it will be mortgaged to Eskan Bank.

No.

No.

You can complain through contact center, email, twitter and facebook. Or through Tawasul system and Mobile Application.

The Identity Card is a multi-application smartcard that will replace many of the existing government issued cards, including the Driving License, Immigration Identity Card and CPR card.

The card will be valid for five years from the date of issue.

No. Each card/application (Driving License, Immigration Identity card .. etc) will have its own validity period and expiry date. The expiry date for each may differ, in which case the owning government body will be responsible for updating its details upon expiry.

It is a device with a slot for insertion of the card. This device allows the data on the chip to be read and updated.

Yes, the Identity Card can be used as a travel document within the GCC. Due to the cards compliance with international standards, it will eventually be possible to use the card with other countries that implement similar systems.

The card features a high level of anti-intrusion security. The main form of authentication involves matching the cardholders fingerprint against the fingerprint template stored in the chip in order to access the card. The data is also protected by two additional layers of security. In addition, the second layer of security involves having the sensitive areas of the card require a specific cipher to be able to access the data. This cipher is embedded in a chip within specific readers, so that only the right people with the right hardware can access the smartcard. Even if the card is lost, unauthorized people cannot gain access to the protected data. This form of security also ensures privacy of data across agencies. For example employees at the General Directorate of Traffic can only access public information and data specific to the directorate and are unable to access data that is specific to other ministries.

The uses of the Identity Card can be summarized as follows:
- Proving the Identity of the cardholder through fingerprint verification
- Traveling throughout the GCC - Using the eGates at the airport for automated immigration clearance
- Storage of a large amount of data which makes it faster and easier to access government services
- Entry/exit access card for government organizations
- Electronic payment
- Voting card

All citizens and residents of the Kingdom of Bahrain are issued with Identity Cards.

The current applications in the card are the CPR application, the driving license and the travel application that allows the use of the eGates. There are already plans to include a 'PKI' security key, an ePurse, medical data, labour information and education data to the card.

Yes, you can. All that is required is a valid travel document, regardless of whether the document is the Identity Card or a passport.

A short form is available in ‘Submit Your Case’ page; it allows users to submit their concerns and/or suggestions by simply filling all the required fields, selecting the involved entity and clicking on ‘Submit’.

Users will be able to receive an acknowledgement message with a case reference number within the same day. Depending on the urgency of the case/suggestion, the time frame will vary as concerned entities and departments (or necessary external bodies) must be contacted by the Information & eGovernment Authority’s Customer Care Unit (CCU).
Resolving period may range from 24 hours to 3-7 working days in the occasion of ordinary cases.

By clicking on ‘Track your Case’, users will be able to search either by the CPR number or the received case reference number.

Users may access previous cases by choosing the 'Track' option on the home screen.

Customer’s feedback is considered very crucial to us. Therefore, no case will be closed without receiving the customer’s feedback within an allocated time frame. If customers respond negatively towards the outcome, the case may be re-opened to apply the same initial process up until the provided outcome is met with the customer’s satisfaction or discussed with the customer for the closure.

Every received suggestion, specifically the ones related to new initiatives to be implemented, will be forwarded to the responsible team in order to review and study the possibilities of implementing the initiative.

Certain cases are resolved by Information & eGovernment Authority while others require the involvement of other entities.

Any citizen, resident, tourist, business owner or a government employee - from in or out of Bahrain with a complaint about the offered services.

The Ministry of Transportation & Telecommunications is the regulating ministry for the aviation, maritime, land transport and post industries in Bahrain. Both airports and seaports are operated by private companies which fall under the supervision of MoT. Bahrain Post is the only service operation which MoT operates directly.

Taxis are currently under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior.

Bahrain Post is the state-operated postal service and we are undertaking significant steps to improve the regulation and competitiveness of this sector. We are working on a new structure within the Ministry to enable this and will announce the details when it is ready. We have also just completed a detailed study in which we reviewed all aspects of the service and are in the process of implementing some changes to improve this. Meanwhile, we provIdentitye reasonable rates when compared to our neighbors.