Bahrain visa on arrival: who qualifies and what to expect

The on-arrival list on the eVisa portal includes the EU and EEA states, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China, Russia, many Latin American and Caribbean states, and a large group of countries in Africa and Asia. NPRA adds that terms and conditions apply, and the portal asks travellers to check eligibility for their nationality before travel.

The on-arrival list and the online eVisa list overlap but are not identical; some nationalities can apply online but are not on the on-arrival list. If your nationality is on neither, you need a guarantor in Bahrain.

The conditions are not printed on the list itself. To see them, run the eligibility check on evisa.gov.bh: state whether you hold GCC residence, give the purpose of your visit and your nationality, and open "See conditions" for the on-arrival option shown to you. That page gives the validity and the permitted stay for your case.

Because the officer checks the conditions on the spot, have your passport, return or onward ticket and details of where you will stay ready. These are not listed by NPRA as fixed requirements, but the officer needs to be satisfied that you meet the conditions of your visa type.

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 is explicit that being on the list does not guarantee entry. The traveller must meet all conditions on arrival, and the decision rests with the immigration officer. If entry is refused after a fee has been paid, nothing is refunded.

Travellers who prefer certainty before departure can apply for the eVisa instead, which is decided in about 3 to 5 working days. An approved eVisa still does not guarantee entry, but it settles the visa question before you board.

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.