Bahrain lets expatriate workers take up to three months' work with another employer

Expatriate workers in Bahrain, including Indians, can now be lent to another company for a short spell without changing their work permit. Resolution No. 2 of 2026 of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA), which amends the 2008 rules on expatriate work permits, creates a formal route for temporary postings that was not open before. Business Standard reports that it was issued on 22 September and announced by LMRA on 28 September.

What changed

The resolution adds two routes. The first allows a foreign worker registered with one employer to work for another employer for up to three months; LMRA calls this a secondment and sets the period at 90 days. The second allows an employer to deploy a worker to another establishment it owns or to one in the same corporate group, provided that establishment is properly registered and meets its Bahrainisation requirements.

LMRA’s secondment service sets out the conditions for the temporary route:

• The current employer and the applying employer must both approve, and the worker must also accept the request.
• Both employers must accept joint liability for the worker’s rights during the secondment.
• The worker may do only an occupation he or she is licensed to perform in Bahrain.
• The secondment becomes invalid if the work permit is cancelled or expires.
• Domestic workers are excluded, as are firms going through an ownership transfer.

The applying employer pays an administrative fee of BHD 5. If its Bahrainisation target is lower than the current employer’s, it also pays a Bahrainisation parallel fee of BHD 62.5 for the 90 days, which is not refunded if the secondment ends early.

According to Business Standard, the worker gives written consent, the application is filed through LMRA’s Expat Management System (EMS), and the permit must stay valid throughout. The permit remains with the original employer; this is not a transfer.

Who it affects

The change matters to expatriate employees in Bahrain’s private sector, including Indian nationals, and to the companies that employ them. It applies only to workers already authorised to work in Bahrain and is not a new way to recruit from abroad, Business Today and Envoy Global report. Business Standard adds that it does not let a worker work for a second employer indefinitely.

What it means for you

If your employer proposes a temporary posting elsewhere, you have a say: the route needs your consent. Check that the LMRA approval is in place before you start, that the job matches the occupation you are licensed for, and when the 90 days end. For anything about your own permit, check with LMRA directly.