Bahrain Lists 5 Conditions for Golden Residency Holders Seeking Work Permits

• Bahrain's Labour Market Regulatory Authority published rules governing how Golden Residency holders can apply for work permits in the kingdom
• The conditions cover permit duration, employer changes, and investor exemptions under the LMRA's Expat Management System
• Golden Residency holders whose employers face Bahrainisation quota limits may be subject to additional fees under the parallel system

Bahrain has set out five specific conditions under which foreign nationals holding Golden Residency status may obtain a work permit, with the rules published by the country's Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) on its official website.

The guidance targets Golden Residency holders who wish to enter formal employment in the kingdom and is intended to clarify how the process works within Bahrain's existing workforce regulatory framework.

Under the published conditions, work permits are issued for a duration of either one or two years. Employers may begin the renewal process up to six months before a permit is due to expire.

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A more detailed condition governs situations where a Golden Residency holder was already employed and held a work permit before being granted residency.

In those cases, the existing permit may continue to be renewed with the same employer without any additional steps.

Should the individual wish to move to a new employer, however, the current permit must first be cancelled through the eSupport function within the Expat Management System (EMS) before a fresh application can be submitted.

Investors who hold Golden Residency and are registered as partners within an establishment are exempt from the work permit requirement entirely, making them a distinct exception under the rules.

A fifth condition addresses circumstances where an employer's Commercial Registration has no available work permit slots owing to Bahrainisation quota obligations. In such cases, an additional fee for the parallel system will apply before the permit can be processed.

Bahrainisation is Bahrain's national policy requiring companies operating in the country to maintain a minimum proportion of Bahraini citizens within their workforce. The rules are designed to ensure that employment pathways for Golden Residency holders remain accessible while preserving the integrity of local workforce localisation requirements.

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Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported earlier that Oman’s Ministry of Labour had introduced a rapid approval pathway covering nine specific job categories for foreign workers.

The new system was designed to reduce processing times that previously took several weeks to just 10 working days.

Officials linked the fast-track permits to Oman’s broader economic diversification and foreign investment goals.

Source: YEN.com.gh