Company Registration and Business Setup in Bahrain

We handle company registration in Bahrain end to end — Commercial Registration (CR) through the Sijilat portal, W.L.L. formation, branch office registration, sector-specific licensing, VAT registration with the National Bureau for Revenue, and ongoing CR renewal and compliance. You can engage us for a single step or for full support.

Bahrain is one of the more open GCC regimes: most commercial activities permit 100% foreign ownership with no local partner. Certain regulated sectors (for example some financial or professional activities) may still require a Bahraini partner or additional approvals. We check your specific activity against the current rules before advising on structure.

Sijilat (sijilat.bh) is Bahrain’s official online commercial registration portal, operated by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC). Company formation, name reservation, licensing and CR renewal are all handled through it. We manage your Sijilat submissions on your behalf.

Bahrain has one of the region’s more streamlined processes — for a standard W.L.L. it typically runs over a few weeks, though timelines depend on your activity, documents and any sector approvals. The steps generally are: reserve a trade name with MOIC, prepare and notarise the constitutional documents, secure a registered address, submit the CR application through Sijilat, and obtain any sector licences. We coordinate the whole sequence.

Bahrain does not impose corporate income tax on most non-oil businesses, and there is no personal income tax. VAT applies at 10% on taxable supplies and is administered by the National Bureau for Revenue (NBR); registration is required once your turnover meets the threshold, with voluntary registration also available. We handle VAT registration and filing where it applies. Because tax rules can change, we confirm the current position at the time of setup.

Bahrain removed the fixed minimum capital requirement for a W.L.L. — capital simply needs to be adequate for the company’s objectives. The specific amount appropriate for your activity is something we advise on as part of structuring, rather than a fixed statutory figure.

Commercial Registrations are renewed annually through Sijilat, and you can renew up to 90 days before the expiry date. Letting a CR lapse can lead to consequences such as frozen bank accounts and suspended visa processing, so we track renewal dates and handle the filing to keep your entity in good standing.

Yes. Alongside formation we provide accounting and bookkeeping, VAT compliance, and support for investor residency built on your registered company — giving you a single point of contact across setup and ongoing obligations.