Bahrain eVisa: applying online on the NPRA portal

NPRA publishes a list of nationalities that may obtain a visa online without a sponsor. It covers most of Europe, North and South America, much of Asia and many African states. If your nationality is not listed, there is no visa you can obtain directly, and a guarantor in Bahrain (your airline, your hotel, a Bahraini travel agent, a Bahraini company or a Bahraini citizen) has to apply for you.

The eligibility form first asks whether you hold a valid residence permit or visit visa for Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, because GCC residents are offered different visa types. It then asks for the purpose (general visit, investment or self-sponsored residence) and, for a general visit, the detail: tourism, family visit, business meeting or other.

Fees depend on the visa type and are shown in the application; the public pages of the portal do not list amounts. Payment is by credit card through the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK) internet payment gateway.

The processing fee is not refunded if the application is refused or if you are later denied entry. Paying the fee does not mean the visa will be approved.

After the eligibility questions the portal shows the visa types open to you, each with a "See conditions" link that states validity, length of stay and requirements. You choose one, complete the form, attach the documents and pay. The application then goes through NPRA's checks, and you receive an approval or refusal email.

Payment comes in two stages: a first payment when you submit, and a second step after approval under "Pay for Application", where you retrieve the application to finish it. Once complete, you print the visa via "Check your Visa". No visa is stamped in the passport before you arrive, so carry the printout and travel on the same passport you entered in the form.

A visit visa can be extended after arrival. NPRA accepts extension requests at its main office on Exhibitions Avenue in Manama (Building One, ground floor) and at the Ministry of Interior service centre in Muharraq (Building 378, Sheikh Hamad Street, Complex 211). The eVisa portal also links to an online extension service on the Bahrain.bh government portal.

An extension fee is charged. The portal does not publish the amount or the maximum length of an extension, so check the conditions of your visa type and apply before your permitted stay ends.

NPRA does not refund the processing fee when an application is refused, and holding a visa does not guarantee entry: if an immigration officer refuses you at the border, no part of the fee is returned. After a refusal you may submit a new application; the refusal email tells you whether to contact NPRA or a Bahraini embassy.

Submitted applications cannot be edited. If NPRA finds wrong data or a missing attachment, it emails you, and you must open "Visa Data Correction" and fix only those items within 7 days of the notice, otherwise the application is cancelled. For any other mistake you have to request cancellation from the email address used in the application, quoting the visa reference number, and then apply again.

The eVisa help desk of the Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) answers questions about electronic visit visas at evisa@npra.gov.bh and on +973 17399756 or +973 17399626, Sunday to Thursday from 07:00 to 14:00. If you lose your reference number, write from the same email address used for the application and give your name, nationality and passport number.

NPRA stresses that evisa.gov.bh is the only official website for Bahraini visas and that no website or company operates on behalf of the government.