Working on a husband's visa

Many married women who relocate to Bahrain do so under their husband’s sponsorship. A woman, adult child or those on a student visa are not permitted to work in the Kingdom. This rule is clearly indicated on their RP with the words “Not permitted to work.” If a sponsored housewife, child or student chooses to disregard this rule there are severe monetary pentalities for both the employee and the employer so we highly suggest that if your RP clearly states that you are not permitted to work, that you do not work unless you follow the correct procedures and obtain the right documentation that will permit you to work if you are a sponsored resident. The Bahrain law states that every person who is not of Bahraini nationality and who intends to work in Bahrain must obtain a work permit from the relevant authority.

If a housewife is offered a job there are a few procedures that her new place of employment will have to follow and there are some documents that will be required. The procedure seems complicated, however it does not take too long after all the approvals are obtained. Furthermore the dependent’s family visa must be transferred to a normal work visa under the new employer’s sponsorship.

Documents required for a housewife to work:
Fill the required from.
Wife and husband's passport and RP copy.
Wife and husband's CPR copy.
Offer letter from the new employer.
No objection letter from the husband.
A copy of the applicant's identity.
Approval letter from the concerned entities for specialized occupation.
Copy of authorized person's CPR.
Copy of the bahranization calculator.

The Procedure

- The new employer should first apply at LMRA customer service for a “housewife to work.” They should then await the LMRA/GDNPR approval.
- Once the approval is granted the dependent’s visa can be cancelled and a new visa must be applied for within 5 days.
- The permitted sectors for a housewife to work in are the medical, banking and finance, and education sectors. For a housewife who wishes to work in another sector, she will have to obtain special approval from the GDNPR (immigration) for the specific occupation that she is interested in.

REMEMBER
It is absolutely illegal to work for anyone without the proper work permit and doing so will have serious consequences on both the employer and employee. We recommend that you do not work for any company unless they obtain the proper paperwork and permits before you begin work.