New expat residency scheme to boost economy

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Investors and skilled expats will be able to apply for permanent residency, designed to attract longer-term capital and talent.

The new measure is part of Bahrain’s economic recovery plan, set out in the 2025–2026 state budget alongside a raft of other policies aimed at boosting growth and curbing debt.

Every year, the government aims to place 25,000 Bahrainis into work and make room in the labour market for 8,000 new graduates.

Employer needs

The Labour Fund, Tamkeen, is leading this effort, offering training tailored to employer needs.

Labour fees will also be adjusted to narrow the cost gap between hiring Bahrainis and expats — an imbalance long criticised by the public.

Efforts to improve the business climate are also moving ahead.

‘Sijilat’, Bahrain’s online registry, is due for an upgrade, while planning permits are going digital to reduce delays.

Legal changes are in progress to ease restrictions on growing firms.

Private investment

A new public land platform is already live, opening up idle plots to private investment.

At the border, customs procedures are being simplified.

Public services, meanwhile, will soon be bound by clearer, stricter deadlines under new service-level agreements.