Domestic Expatriate Employees and Their Equivalents

Domestic expatriate employees and their equivalents work permit tasks has been transmitted completely to EMS, starting from 17/03/2019. LMRA aim to provide efficient services that excel in transparency, resilience and are dynamic while taking into account reinforcing the concept of "one-stop shop".

Required document

Domestic Expatriate Employee Work Permit Application

Issuing work permit through employment offices:

Fill in the form with all required data from both sides.
A copy of the employer's identity card from both sides.
The source of income, which should be proved by a certified salary statement.
For Business Owners: A mobile bank statement showing the applicant's income during the past three months at least and a copy of the record - for taxi drivers: something to prove the ownership of the car and the driving license for the first work permit and accompanied by an account statement in case of applying for other work permits - for sailors: something to prove the ownership of the boat and the fishing license for the first work permit and accompanied by an account statement in case of applying for other work permits - for real-estate and apartment owner, attach address cards and rent leases.
A printout of the applicant's ID card information, and a copy of the clearance record (for the clearing agents).
The tripartite contract in case of submitting via employment offices.
A Medical examination issued by the Gulf Approved Medical centers Association "GAMCA".
If there are no accredited medical centers in the country of the foreign worker, a unified medical examination certificate must be attached for the countries that do not fall under the umbrella of the Gulf Approved Medical centers Association "GAMCA".
No Objection Certificate from National Health Regulatory Authority in case of applying for a nurse permit.
The foreign employer shall have a copy of the passport with the residency provided, with the condition that the residency is valid for a period not less than 6 months.

Direct Issuing of work permit through the Authority:

A copy of the domestic expatriate employee passport.
A copy of the domestic expatriate employee ID card (if available).
A copy of the grace period / visit permit (if the domestic expatriate employee is in the Kingdom).
A Pledge of the employer's obligations towards the domestic expatriate employee in case of direct application by the employer.
A Medical examination issued by the Gulf Approved Medical centers Association "GAMCA".
If there are no accredited medical centers in the country of the foreign worker, a unified medical examination certificate must be attached for the countries that do not fall under the umbrella of the Gulf Approved Medical centers Association "GAMCA".

Ceiling Increase Request for Domestic Expatriate Employees

Fill the form with required data from both sides.
Copies for both sides of ID card for all family members( Husbands-Wife-Children).
Source of income certified by: salary slip.
Business men: 3 months banks statement, car ownership, driving license (First work permit application) - Sailor: sail boat ownership - fishing license (First work permit application), bank statement, Real-estate owners: address cards and rent contracts.
Non Bahraini the employer should have a residency permit valid for at least 6 months period upon approval to issue the permit.
Provide ID card data for applicant, and copy of clearance CR (agents).
GCC nationals applicant should provide proof of residency for himself and his family members in the kingdom of Bahrain.

*Attach proof’s of need as per above requirements.

In case of change of any of the above mentioned data, please contact LMRA to declare about it.

Domestic Expatriate Employee Application Centers

Centre	Area	Day	Time
LMRA Front Offices	Manama	Sunday - Thursday	7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Mina Salman (For Clearing offices)	Mina Salman	Sunday - Thursday	7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Seef Mall (Al Muharraq)	Al Muharraq	Saturday - Thursday	8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Riffa - Buhair	Riffa - Buhair	Saturday - Thursday	8:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Fees

Domestic NWP Fees

Collected on behalf	Description	24 months fees	12 months fees
LMRA	LMRA - Work Permit issuance fee	BHD 30	BHD 15
LMRA	LMRA - Admin fee	BHD 5	BHD 5
NPRA	Entry Visa Fee	BHD 24	BHD 24
	Entry Visa credence Fee	BHD 5	BHD 5
	Residence and Return Visa	BHD 34	BHD 17
MOH	Health Check Result Credence Fee	BHD 10	BHD 10
IGA	Identity Card issuance fee	BHD 10	BHD 10
Total Amount		BHD 118	BHD 86

Total Fees for Domestic Renewal

Collected on behalf	Description	6 months	12 months fees	24 months fees
LMRA	Work Permit issuance fee	BHD 10	BHD 20	BHD 40
LMRA	LMRA - Admin fee	BHD 5	BHD 5	BHD 5
NPRA	Residency permit fee	BHD 8.5	BHD 17	BHD 34
Total Amount		BHD 23.5	BHD 42	BHD 79

Other Fees

Collected on behalf	Description	Amount
LMRA	Termination Admin fees	BHD 5
	Change Of occupation fee	BHD 10
	Runaway Admin fee	BHD 5

The Optional Insurance System for Domestic Expatriate Employees

In coordination between the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, the Central Bank of Bahrain and Bahrain Insurance Association, the optional insurance system has been implemented which is catered to cover domestic expatriate employees. The insurance policy will be available to employers recruiting domestic expatriate employees directly or through licensed employment offices (intermediaries) with employers having the option to insure their domestic expatriate employees or not.

Insurance Advantages:

Contributes to providing the greatest degree of protection for the employer and the domestic expatriate employee, and aims to compensate for the following cases:

No.	Coverage	Limit (in BHD)	Benefit
1	Death due to any cause	3,000	Compensating the employer for the cost of hiring an alternative domestic expatriate employee. Remaining available amount under the limit will be payable to the legal heirs of the domestic expatriate employee.
2	Permanent Partial or Total Disability due to accident	1,500	Cost of sourcing an alternative domestic expatriate employee within 90 days of reporting. One way economy ticket to home country. Remaining available amount under the limit will be payable to the legal heirs of the domestic expatriate employee.
3	Critical Illness (Cancer, Heart Attack, Stroke)	500
4	Medical Expenses due to Accident	500	Compensating the employer for the costs incurred.
5	Mortal Remains Repatriation	1,000	Compensating the employer for the costs incurred
6	Absence from work in violation to the terms of the work Permit	Option 1 (up to BHD 500) Option 2 (up to BHD 1,000) Option 3 (up to BHD 1,500)	Compensating the employer for the cost of sourcing an alternative domestic expatriate employee in accordance with the terms of the policy. A waiting period of 90 days will be applicable for the coverage of absence from work in violation of the conditions of the permit, in some cases as stated in the policy wording.

Insurance Categories:

Three different categories will be available to employers to choose from, where the price of the insurance policy ranges between BHD 40 to BHD 120 for a period of 12 months, and between BHD 60 to BHD 180 for a period of 24 months, depending on the validity period of the required work permit.

It is worth noting that the difference in the price of the insurance policy comes based on the employer's choice of the amount of coverage in the event that the domestic expatriate employee leaves work in violation of the terms of the permit, with remaining the benefits mentioned in items 1 to 5 for all categories.

Categories covered by insurance:

With the issuing of the new work permit.
With the renewal of the work permit.
During the validity of the work permit.

The insurance policy is activated as soon as the expatriate employee enters the country, and if the expatriate employee is present in the country, the insurance policy is activated as soon as his work permit is issued.

Companies providing insurance services:

This insurance policy is developed for the domestic expatriate employees in coordination between the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, the Central Bank of Bahrain and Bahrain Insurance Association. The policy is subject to the regulations and procedures of the Central Bank of Bahrain, and Solidarity Bahrain represents a number of insurance companies in selling and issuing the policy and receiving claims.

For more information and inquiries, please contact the Labour Market Regulatory Authority’s call centre: +973 17506055

Last Update: Sunday 6 November 2022