Starting a business in Bahrain: foreigner's guide (2026)

Amending Decision No. 40 of 2021, Bahrain opened more activities (including real-estate brokerage and port operation) to 100% foreign ownership, some unconditionally and others subject to a BHD 100,000 minimum capital and large parent-company revenue. It deepens Bahrain's open-investment regime for new businesses.

Effective on publication, the amendment lets companies hold board/shareholder meetings and conduct voting electronically by default and broadly modernises corporate governance, reducing administrative friction for setting up and running companies.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce made opening a Bahraini corporate bank account a prerequisite to finalising commercial registration, adding a compliance step to the company-formation workflow on Sijilat.

The Economic Development Board introduced a Golden Licence for projects worth over USD 50 million or creating 500+ jobs, offering streamlined licensing, priority land allocation, and a dedicated account manager. It created a fast-track setup channel for large-scale ventures.

MOIC issued a consolidated schedule defining which commercial activities permit 100% foreign ownership and which remain restricted, becoming the reference framework that later decisions (e.g. No. 71 of 2025) amend.

The resolution allowed joint-stock companies to issue classes of preference shares, let limited partnerships use standalone trade names, and introduced a not-for-profit company form, broadening the menu of corporate vehicles available to founders.

Bahrain removed many remaining restrictions so that the large majority of MOIC-listed activities became open to full foreign ownership without a local partner, cementing it as a GCC leader in open foreign investment.

Replacing the 1987 regime, the law introduced statutory reorganisation, an automatic moratorium, a bankruptcy register, and the GCC's first cross-border insolvency provisions, lowering the risk of business failure and improving investor confidence in market entry.

A major overhaul of the 2001 law that, together with related reforms, opened the door to full foreign ownership in most sectors and updated governance rules—an inflection point for how easily foreigners can establish companies in Bahrain.

MOIC and the e-Government Authority launched Sijilat, a single online portal linking the government agencies that issue licences and approvals, enabling end-to-end company registration, renewals, and amendments online.

The foundational statute governing the formation, types, management, and dissolution of companies in Bahrain (WLL, BSC, partnerships, etc.). It remains the core legal framework that all later amendments build on.