Many citizens living abroad remain unregistered, making it harder for authorities to assist them during emergencies

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has kept pace with the paperwork, and the challenge lies in reaching the people.

It has processed nearly 200,000 overseas transactions since the beginning of the current legislative term, yet many citizens living abroad remain unregistered, leaving themselves exposed in times of trouble.

The figures were provided by Foreign Minister, His Excellency Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani, in response to a parliamentary question submitted by MP Jalal Kadhem.

He said the ministry had handled a total of 198,057 consular services, achieving a completion rate of 99 per cent.

Support

These covered passport renewals, driving licences, police certificates, document attestations, birth records and support in legal cases involving Bahrainis overseas.

“There is no law requiring citizens abroad to share their details with us,” he said. “Many are not registered at all, and even among those who are, the records are often years out of date. We are asking people to come forward and register, because it can make all the difference when something goes wrong.” Among those most affected are students. Many have not reported their current place of study or residence.

According to ministry data, 4,031 students are currently recorded abroad.

Groups

The largest groups are in Egypt, the UK and the UAE. A single Bahraini student is listed in Damascus, and one in Doha.

The ministry has made changes to simplify consular procedures.

Bahrain has joined the Apostille Convention, which allows documents to be accepted across borders with a single certification.

It has also linked up with the national appointment system, introduced electronic attestation and begun issuing emergency travel documents for Bahrainis in GCC states who lose their ID cards.

Plans

Dr Al Zayani said plans to open additional service counters across Bahrain were being considered, depending on available resources and staffing.

Between 2023 and 2024, the ministry dealt with over 137,000 requests for documents and nearly 3,000 legal matters.

These included support for detained or hospitalised Bahrainis, assistance with death certificates and other urgent family cases.

No applications have been left unresolved since the start of the legislative term.

Overseas missions continue to forward all requests to the appropriate authorities.

Transactions

The embassy in Riyadh processed 10,842 transactions. Cairo handled 9,630, while Mumbai dealt with 4,946.

Other busy missions included London, Washington, Amman, Abu Dhabi, New Delhi and Jakarta.

Workloads varied across different posts. The Bahrain embassy in Baghdad dealt with 82 requests, while Geneva recorded 90.

Mission

Paris logged 457, while mission in Seoul handled matters for nine Bahraini students.

The ministry also operates a 24-hour contact and response centre at its headquarters in Manama.

It manages enquiries, complaints and emergencies, working closely with other departments and Bahraini missions abroad.

A public survey conducted in 2024 found that 98.92 per cent of users were satisfied with the ministry’s consular services, according to the ministry.