Bahrain Expats: Employer Health Cover Now Tied to Work and Residence Permits

Bahrain's National Health Insurance Program for Residents came into effect on 31 October 2026, the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has announced. The scheme links health coverage directly to the issuance and renewal of work and residence permits, making it a step foreign workers and their sponsors cannot skip.

Key facts

• Start date: 31 October 2026
• Who must enrol: employers, for their foreign national employees; sponsors, for their own family members
• Dependants: covered where the employment contract provides for it
• Payment route: the LMRA portal, after a payment notification is issued
• Access: the CPR (Central Population Register) identity card
• Not covered: domestic workers, residents employed by government entities, and their dependants

Who is affected?

Employers must enrol their foreign national employees in the scheme, together with those employees' dependent family members where the employment contract provides for it. Sponsors are also required to enrol their own family members.

Domestic workers, residents employed by government entities and their dependants fall outside the program and are not covered by it.

How does the process work?

Coverage is tied to work and residence permits. Once a work permit has been issued or renewed, the employer receives a payment notification and must promptly pay the health insurance contribution and the visa fee through the LMRA portal.

After the payment is processed and the permit is issued, health coverage under the scheme is activated. The employee can then use their CPR identity card to access the coverage.

What does the coverage include?

The scheme covers primary and secondary healthcare services, as well as treatment for emergencies and accidents. Optional insurance packages offering additional benefits are also available to meet the needs of individuals and employers.

The announcement did not state the amount of the health insurance contribution or the visa fee payable through the LMRA portal.

What this means for travellers

Foreign nationals taking up work in Bahrain, and their sponsors, should expect health insurance enrolment to form part of the work and residence permit process rather than a separate step. Employers should be ready to act on the payment notification once a permit is issued or renewed, since coverage only activates after payment is processed and the permit is issued.

Anyone planning to work in Bahrain should confirm whether their role falls inside the scheme or within the excluded categories, and check whether their employment contract provides for dependant coverage.