The framework is particularly relevant to companies and establishments employing expatriate workers because it affects the cost of obtaining work authorisations and the recurring monthly payments associated with foreign employees.

The changes were introduced through Prime Ministerial Edict No. 79 of 2025, issued on December 29, 2025, by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, following the required governmental approval process.

According to Bahrain’s official legislation database, the decision became effective on January 1, 2026, meaning that the rates applicable to the current year are already in force rather than awaiting future legislative approval.

The decision amends Article One of Edict No. 26 of 2008, which regulates fees payable by employers for the issuance and renewal of work permits and certain associated residency arrangements involving foreign workers.

Its published framework covers the work permit, entry and no-objection arrangements, residence permit, return visa, medical examination and identity card within the relevant regulatory fee structure.

For 2026, the official schedule sets the annual fee for issuing or renewing a work permit at 105 Bahraini dinars, with the amount collected proportionately according to the requested permit validity period.

Employers must distinguish this annual issuance or renewal fee from the separate monthly amounts that the decision requires for each foreign employee.

For the first five expatriate workers employed by an establishment, the monthly fee applicable during 2026 is 7.5 Bahraini dinars per foreign worker.

For expatriate employees exceeding the first five workers, the monthly charge rises to 12.5 Bahraini dinars for each additional worker during the same year.

This distinction requires establishments to consider the number of foreign workers included in each fee category when calculating their monthly obligations.

The amounts published in the decision should not be presented as a complete calculation of every possible employment-related expense because other obligations may arise under separate applicable regulations.

The approved schedule also establishes changes taking effect from January 1, 2027, including an annual work permit issuance or renewal fee of 111 Bahraini dinars.

Under the same 2027 schedule, the monthly fee becomes 10 dinars for each of the first five expatriate workers and 15 dinars for each foreign worker beyond that threshold.

These figures are not proposals awaiting legislative approval because they were already included in the government decision issued in December 2025.

However, they should not be described as the rates currently payable in November 2026 because their official commencement date is January 1, 2027.

A further adjustment is scheduled for January 1, 2028, when the annual fee for issuing or renewing a work permit will increase to 118 Bahraini dinars.

The monthly fee will also become 20 dinars per foreign employee, regardless of whether the worker falls within the first five employees or exceeds that number.

For 2029, the decision specifies an annual issuance or renewal fee of 125 dinars and a monthly contribution of 30 dinars for every foreign worker.

The distinction between the first five workers and additional workers therefore disappears from the monthly fee schedule beginning in 2028 under the published decision.

An important provision concerns how the annual fee is calculated when an employer requests a permit with a validity period different from a full year.

The decision specifies that the annual amount is collected proportionately to the duration of the work permit issued through the Labour Market Regulatory Authority.

Consequently, employers should not automatically assume that the same full annual amount applies without adjustment to every available permit duration.

The decision also repeals provisions that conflict with its requirements, making the revised schedule the relevant reference for transactions falling within its scope.

Businesses are encouraged to monitor the expiration dates of existing permits and review their expatriate workforce records to understand the effect of current and future fees.

They should confirm the charges applicable to their specific permit category and requested duration through the official Labour Market Regulatory Authority channels before paying.

Expatriate employees can also use the published decision to understand the statutory fees imposed on employers without assuming that these amounts may automatically be transferred to workers in violation of applicable law.

The current rates represent an implemented regulatory framework, while the higher figures for 2027, 2028 and 2029 are legally approved future adjustments rather than new announcements made in November 2026.

Source: Bahrain Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission and the Office of the Prime Minister.