Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior issued a new decision on 4 March that expands the definition of “family members” eligible to obtain dependent visas to  “spouse, children and parents.” Previously, foreign workers could only sponsor their spouses, children under the age of 18, and adult children studying in the country.  

According to the new amendments, foreign workers or business owners must earn at least BD 400 (USD 1,060) monthly to sponsor their spouse or children under the age of 24. Some media outlets such as Gulfnews and Al-Ayam incorrectly reported that this decision increased the monthly wage requirement from BD 250, but Bahrain had already raised the minimum wage requirement to BD400 in January 2018.

The new decision also states that to sponsor children over the age of 24 or parents, a foreign worker or business owner should not earn less than BD 1000 (USD 2,651) monthly, and have valid health insurance.  

And as was the case previously, according to the new regulation, the National Passports and Residency affairs (NPRA) may exclude some cases from these requirements. 

The new Interior Ministry Decision No (34) of 2021 amends the provisions of Decision No. (121) of 2007 regarding the residence permit of dependents of foreign workers and business owners.