Bahrain to Reduce Tourist Visa Fees by Over 50%

Travelers wishing to pay a visit to Bahrain and in need of visitor visas will now pay less than half of what they had to so far to enter the island country.

The government of the Kingdom of Bahrain has decided to slash visa fees in half, in a bid to attract a higher number of tourists, by making it cheaper to get aa Bahraini entry visa.

According to Government, the one-year visa fee price for tourists to Bahrain which has so far been 85 Bahraini dinars, has now been reduced down to will be 40 Bahraini dinars ($106.38) for a visa.

Whereas, those applying for a visa valid for five years, the fee has dropped from BD170 to BD60, in a bid to lure more visitors to the country, and boost the economy through tourism.

With the changes in visa fees, the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) has also announced that it will launch the new identity and logo. These changes come following the selection of the Bahraini capital, Manama as the ‘Capital of Arab Tourism for 2020’ during the recent 22nd Session of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism.

Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism and chairman of BTEA, explains that only in the first nine months off 2019, the number of nights foreign tourists spent in Bahrain increased by about 9 percent.

“In the first nine months of 2019, total nights spent by tourists reached 10.7 million nights, an increase of 8.8 percent compared to the same period the previous year, while the average length of stay reached 3.4 nights per tourist, an increase of 20.5 percent,” the Minister Al Zayani told to local media.

Currently, only the nationals of Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates do not need a visa to enter Bahrain.

Whereas, nationals of the following can enter Bahrain with a Visa on arrival or eVisa:

• European Union countries
• Andorra
• Antigua and Barbuda (eVisa only)
• Argentina
• Australia
• Azerbaijan (eVisa only)
• Barbados (eVisa only)
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Brunei
• Cameroon (eVisa only)
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Cuba (eVisa only)
• Dominica (eVisa only)
• Dominican Republic (eVisa only)
• Ecuador
• Egypt (eVisa only)
• Gabon (eVisa only)
• Georgia
• Ghana (eVisa only)
• Grenada (eVisa only)
• Guyana
• Haiti (eVisa only)
• Hong Kong
• Iceland
• India (eVisa only)
• Indonesia (eVisa only)
• Ivory Coast (eVisa only)
• Jamaica (eVisa only)
• Japan
• Jordan (eVisa only)
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya (eVisa only)
• Liechtenstein
• Macau
• Malaysia
• Mauritius (eVisa only)
• Mexico
• Monaco
• Morocco (eVisa only)
• Mozambique (eVisa only)
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Pakistan (eVisa only)
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Qatar (eVisa only)
• Russia
• Saint Kitts and Nevis (eVisa only)
• Saint Lucia (eVisa only)
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (eVisa only)
• San Marino
• Senegal (eVisa only)
• Seychelles (eVisa only)
• Singapore
• South Africa (eVisa only)
• South Korea
• Suriname
• Switzerland
• Taiwan (eVisa only)
• Thailand
• The Bahamas (eVisa only)
• Trinidad and Tobago (eVisa only)
• Turkey
• Ukraine (on arrival only)
• United Kingdom (eVisa only)
• United States
• Uruguay
• Vatican City

According to Henley Passport Index, Bahrain is placed in the 63^rd positions with its passport holders eligible to travel to 81 countries visa-free, with a travel authorization or with a visa on arrival.