Doing business in Bahrain

Bahrain- Fact File

Bahrain is an archipelago of 36 islands, located in the heart of the Arabian Gulf. The islands
cover a total land area of over 706 sq.kms, which means Bahrain is slightly smaller than
Singapore. Bahrain is the most liberal country in the GCC region displaying high tolerance to
other religions, free thinking lifestyle and keen to attract business conglomerates.

Bahrain is considered as the financial hub of Middle East.( www.bahrain.com ) Bahrain provides
a free, open and transparent environment for businesses and has a globally competitive, value-
creation story which focuses on sustainability, skills and good governance.

How to start a business

Step 1

Bahrain has a single integrated regulator for the entire financial services industry namely Central
Bank of Bahrain.

Central Bank of Bahrain ( www.cbb.gov.bh ) has a comprehensive website giving details about
obtaining business licenses, registrations, fees and processes.

Once the comprehensive documents, in the prescribed format, are submitted, CBB in case of
clarification reverts to the organization. If no clarifications are required, the license is granted in
12-16 weeks.

Tip: Mr. Ahmed Al Bassam heads licensing for CBB. Though not mandatory, it is recommended to
take an appointment with Mr. Bassam and make a brief presentation to him. Then the organization
can submit the relevant license forms.

Step 2

Once the license is obtained, then the organization has to go to the government’s ‘Single Window’.

Here, various government departments are all located under the same roof and in a sequential
manner, all approvals are obtained.

At this stage, many organizations prefer to hire a local lawyer who follows up with the various
departments and obtains a CR (Commercial Registration)

Step 3

The CR (Commercial Registration) enables the organization to not only start the business but also
hire office premises, telephone lines, approach LMRA (Labour Market Regulatory Authority)
(www.lmra.bh ) for employment visas etc.