Bahrain ease visa procedures for GCC residents

Manama: Bahrain has eased its visa rules for foreigners residing in GCC countries and planning to visit the kingdom.

Foreigners can come to Bahrain even when the validity of their passports is three months.

The previous rule required a passport validity of at least six months in order to be granted the entry visit.

Foreigners who have valid residence permits in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia can obtain a two-week eVisa granted online by Bahrain.

However, a General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs official said the foreigner’s passport must have a residency permit in the country where he or she is staying that is valid for at least another three months as a requirement to obtain the visa to Bahrain.

The slashing of the passport validity requirement, based on a decision by Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, aims to ease procedures for business people and tourists planning to visit Bahrain, the official said.

An extension of the two-week visa can be obtained for the same period from the General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs.

GCC citizens do not need visas to enter Bahrain, one of the most visited countries in the Gulf.

The weekly statistics issued by the interior ministry indicate that most of the visitors come from neighbouring GCC countries via the 25-kilometre long King Fahad Causeway.

The General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs earlier this month said that 347,463 people entered Bahrain between May 26 and June 1.

The figures showed that 291,618 passengers entered through the King Fahad Causeway, 55,481 through Bahrain International Airport and 364 through seaports.