Call to negotiate easier visa rules for Bahrainis

A proposal has been submitted by the Parliament Speaker to the Foreign Ministry to negotiate more convenient visa procedures for Bahrainis traveling to European countries. Fawzia Zainal has urged the Foreign Ministry to push for relaxed visa rules including visa on arrival for Bahrainis traveling to Europe.

The proposal aims to add to the convenience of Bahraini travelers by saving time. Ms. Zainal pointed out that Bahrain has already provided European citizens with relaxed visa rules including a visa on arrival facility. Currently, the vast majority of countries across Europe require a prior visa for Bahrainis.

Only a handful of European countries such as Ukraine, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia and Georgia offer visa on arrival to Bahrainis. Meanwhile, Albania has announced that Bahrainis can travel to Albania without having to obtain a visa in advance this summer. Bahrain is one of the eight countries to which Albania has informed that they are lifting the visa regime. The announcement was made by the Albanian Foreign Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry elaborated that the change will only be applied for a few months. The ministry stated that this is a decision taken by the Albanian Council of Ministers on February 27. This allows the citizens of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Qatar, Oman, Thailand, and Bahrain to enter Albania by using only their passport.

“The decision allowing citizens of Russia, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Qatar, Oman, Thailand, and Bahrain to enter Albania without needing a visa will be in force from April 1 to October 31 in 2019, whereas for the citizens of the People’s Republic of China, it is valid from March 1 to October 31 of this year,” said the statement.