Bahrain transit: when you need a visa for a layover

NPRA answers the transit question directly: if your time at Bahrain airport will not exceed 8 hours, you do not need a visa, but you must not leave the airport. The rule is about the time spent airside between connecting flights.

If the connection is longer than 8 hours, NPRA says a visa could be granted. There is no separate transit visa product described on the eVisa portal, so a long layover is handled with one of the normal visit options.

Nationals of countries on the online list can apply for an eVisa in advance; the decision usually takes 3 to 5 working days, so apply well before the trip. Nationals on the on-arrival list may be granted a visa at the border, subject to the conditions and the officer's decision.

Travellers whose nationality is on neither list need a guarantor. NPRA names your airline first among possible guarantors, followed by your place of stay, a Bahraini travel agent, a company or a citizen.

A visa, even when issued, does not guarantee entry; the immigration officer decides at the border, and fees are not refunded after a refusal. If you plan to leave the airport during a layover of any length, you need a visa.

If you use the eVisa for a long layover, nothing is stamped in your passport before arrival: print the approved visa through "Check your Visa" and travel on the same passport you used to apply. Each traveller, including a child endorsed in a parent's passport, needs an application on their own passport. An application cannot be edited after submission; to correct a mistake, request cancellation from your registered email with the reference number and apply again. A rejected applicant may also submit a new application.

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.