Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority has announced new rules allowing a licensed foreign worker to be employed at another establishment owned by the same employer or belonging to the same business group, while also introducing a regulated option for the worker to temporarily work for another employer for up to three months.

The measure was introduced under Resolution No. 2 of 2026, which amends provisions of Resolution No. 76 of 2008 governing work permits for foreign workers outside the domestic worker category. The change is designed to give businesses greater operational flexibility while keeping the employment of expatriate workers within the country’s official regulatory framework.

Under the new rules, an employer may assign a foreign worker to another establishment that the employer owns under a different commercial registration, or to another company within the same group. The receiving establishment must generally operate under the same Bahrainisation requirement as the worker’s original establishment, or a higher one.

The resolution also allows a foreign worker to work for another employer for a period of three months, but the arrangement is subject to approval from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority and cannot be implemented informally. Written consent from the worker and the employers involved is required, while the temporary employment period must also be formally registered with the authority.

Additional conditions apply to the Bahrainisation requirements of the receiving business. Where the applicable Bahrainisation percentage is lower than that of the worker’s original establishment, the receiving employer may be required to pay the relevant fee prescribed under existing regulations.

The new framework also establishes joint responsibility between the two employers for protecting the foreign worker’s employment rights during the temporary work period. Once the required procedures have been completed and the arrangement has been recorded in the official system, the authority will notify the parties concerned.

The Labour Market Regulatory Authority stressed that the measure applies only to foreign workers who already hold valid permits and are already present in Bahrain’s labour market. It does not create a new channel for recruiting workers from outside the kingdom.

Employers wishing to use the three-month arrangement can submit the relevant request through the Labour Market Regulatory Authority’s expatriate management system, providing an official mechanism for temporary employment while maintaining regulatory oversight and protecting the rights of all parties.