Company Incorporation in Bahrain
Entry of a Bahraini company in the commercial register through Sijilat — reserving the name, selecting the ISIC-based commercial activities (which drive the licence requirements and any competent-authority approvals), notarising the memorandum of association, appointing a general manager, declaring the ultimate beneficial owners and taking issue of the Commercial Registration (CR) and activity licence(s). The default vehicle is the W.L.L. (With Limited Liability Company); a sole founder uses the Single Person Company (S.P.C.) and larger or regulated businesses the Bahrain Shareholding Company (B.S.C.). Up to 100% foreign ownership is permitted in most activities, but the permitted percentage is activity-dependent and some activities are restricted or reserved for Bahraini/GCC nationals.
5–15 business days
BHD
Compare the structures
Every column is a vehicle you can actually incorporate here, and each is bought on its own terms. Every fact carries where it was read: on the authority’s own page, or — marked Indicative — on a filing platform or publication we name and link. Anything we could not read anywhere is marked Pending verification and confirmed with the authority before you pay.
| With Limited Liability Company (W.L.L.)The default vehicle — SMEs and foreign-owned trading, consulting and services businesses wanting limited liability without a public share issue. Commonly reported as 2–50 shareholders with at least one general manager; minimum capital and the shareholder range are confirmed at quote against the Commercial Companies Law | Single Person Company (S.P.C.)A sole founder — natural or corporate — wanting a limited-liability company wholly owned by one person; can be 100% foreign-owned subject to the activity. Any minimum share capital is confirmed at quote against the Commercial Companies Law, not quoted from market sources | Bahrain Shareholding Company (B.S.C.) — closed or publicLarger businesses, regulated and financial activities and any entity intending a public or listed share issue; the closed form (B.S.C.(c)) is the usual vehicle for larger private groups. Board size and minimum capital are set by the Commercial Companies Law and confirmed at quote; a public B.S.C. and regulated entities carry additional Central Bank of Bahrain requirements | Branch of a foreign companyA foreign parent wanting a Bahraini presence without a separate local legal entity — the branch is not a separate legal person and the parent remains liable. Some branch activities require a Bahraini sponsor or agent depending on the activity | Sole Proprietorship (individual establishment)An individual trader wanting the simplest registered form and accepting unlimited personal liability — an establishment in the commercial register with no separate legal personality. Whether a foreign individual may hold one is activity- and residence-dependent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum owners | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Maximum owners | 50 | 1 | Pending verification | Pending verification | 1 |
| Minimum directors | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | Pending verification |
| Liability | limited | limited | limited | unlimited | unlimited |
| Foreign ownership | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Pending verification |
| Tax treatment | No corporate income tax (0%) in Bahrain for a W.L.L. unless it carries on oil/gas/hydrocarbon activity (which is taxed a… | Same as the W.L.L.: 0% corporate income tax (unless oil/gas, 46%), no personal income tax, 10% VAT once registered, pote… | Same Bahrain tax profile: 0% corporate income tax (46% only for oil/gas), no personal income tax, 10% VAT, 15% DMTT only… | A branch is not a separate legal person; the foreign parent remains liable. Bahrain levies no corporate income tax on th… | Business income is not subject to corporate income tax (0%, unless oil/gas) and Bahrain has no personal income tax, so t… |
| Audit required | Yes | Yes | Yes | Pending verification | No |
| Audit threshold | A W.L.L. is generally required to prepare and file audited financial statements under the Commercial Companies Law; exac… | Audited financial statements generally required under the Commercial Companies Law; exact exemptions not confirmed (moic… | A B.S.C. is subject to mandatory audit and a board of directors; a public B.S.C. and regulated entities carry additional… | Pending verification | Pending verification |
| Annual compliance | Medium | Medium | High | Medium | Low |
| Typical use | A foreign entrepreneur's Bahraini operating company - trading, professional services, tech - typically formed with one o… | A single foreign founder incorporating a wholly-owned Bahraini limited company. | Banks, insurers, larger corporates and companies raising capital; the closed B.S.C. (B.S.C.(c)) is the common form for l… | A foreign company registering a Bahrain branch to bid for or deliver contracts locally while keeping the head office abr… | A local individual trader or small service business registered as an establishment in the commercial register. |
What we will need from you
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Passport copy for each individual shareholder
Per shareholder.
For a foreign corporate shareholder: certificate of incorporation, memorandum/articles, board resolution and an attested power of attorney
Bahrain is understood NOT to be a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so foreign public documents generally require full consular legalisation (Bahraini embassy plus Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and certified Arabic translation rather than an apostille. Confirm the attestation chain in the MOIC Procedures Guide before relying on it.
Proposed company name and the selected commercial activities
Activities are ISIC-based and determine the licence requirements, the fees and whether an external approval is needed.
Memorandum of association / articles, notarised
Bahraini registered address / lease for the registered office
Appointment of at least one general manager
The general manager bears director-equivalent duties. Confirmed at quote against the Commercial Companies Law (Legislative Decree No. 21 of 2001).
Ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) details for disclosure via Sijilat
Required under Ministerial Order No. 83 of 2020 for all registered companies and branches except those licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain. A UBO is broadly any natural person owning or controlling, directly or indirectly, at least 10% — the threshold is from secondary sources and is confirmed against the MOIC UBO page.
Competent-authority or security approvals for the chosen activities
Activity-dependent, and required before the CR can issue.
Cost breakdown
Our fee and the government’s are always separate lines. Government fees are passed through at exactly what the authority charges — we add nothing to them.
| Commercial Registration (CR) issuance feeThe CR issuance fee varies by legal form and by the activities selected and is set by MOIC. | Confirmed before payment |
| Commercial activity licence fee (per activity)Each activity attached to the CR carries its own annual licence fee set by MOIC, and some activities carry additional approvals and fees from a competent authority. Read the MOIC activity-fee schedule on moic.gov.bh. | Confirmed before payment |
| Annual CR renewal feeonly if it appliesThe CR must be renewed annually via Sijilat and late renewal attracts fines. A vendor snippet cites 'from BHD 800' — that is unofficial market content, not a statutory figure, and is not quoted here. Confirm on the MOIC / Sijilat fee schedule. | Confirmed before payment |
| Comriq professional fee | Fixed fee within 1 business day |
How it runs
You will see these exact stages update in your client portal as we progress.
Reserve Name & Select Activities
Apply on Sijilat to reserve the company name and choose the commercial activities (ISIC-based), which drive the licence requirements and any external approvals.
Activity Approvals
Secure any competent-authority approvals required for the chosen activities before the CR can issue (activity-dependent).
Memorandum Executed
Adopt and notarise the memorandum of association and appoint the general manager.
UBO Declared
Disclose ultimate beneficial owner details via Sijilat as required by Ministerial Order No. 83 of 2020.
CR Issued
MOIC issues the Commercial Registration and activity licence(s) once fees are paid and approvals are complete.
Indicative guidance — confirmed before payment
Requirements and statutory fees are set by Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC), Registration Directorate — via the Sijilat commercial-registration portal and change without notice. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your engagement letter and quote are the binding documents.