Bahrain tightens visa checks to boost security | THE DAILY TRIBUNE

TDT | Manama

Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Government of Bahrain, represented by the Ministry of Interior, reaffirmed its commitment to combating all potential threats to the security of the Kingdom, especially with regard to the legal status of foreign tourists and residents.

In a statement to parliament, the government outlined its measures to tighten controls on all visas and residence permits, including tourist visas and work permits.

This includes more stringent rules on obtaining or converting visas, preventing the conversion of business visitor visas into work permits and other similar practices.

“The government has introduced a new policy requiring guarantors to promise not to convert tourist visas into work permits, in line with Article 4 of the Bahrain Entry Visa Decision. This allows immigration officials to require a Bahraini guarantor before issuing a visa if deemed necessary,” the statement said.

The Government also stressed its commitment to implementing the new decision issued by the Minister of Interior earlier this year on fees for services provided by the General Directorate for Citizenship, Passports and Residence.

The decision aims to prevent the conversion of tourist visas without a guarantor into work permits or family reunification visas, while allowing the conversion of tourist visas into work permits or family reunification visas for the same guarantor for a fee of 250 Bahraini Dinars.

The government therefore called on parliament to reconsider the bill, which would prohibit the conversion of Bahraini tourist visas into work permits. The government argued that the objectives of the bill are already achieved by existing laws.

The Government emphasised that existing laws and regulations governing the entry and residence of foreigners in Bahrain, including the Immigration and Residence of Foreigners Act, provide the framework for managing these matters.

“Article 18 of the Act allows for the issuance of residence permits to foreigners who can support themselves and their dependents in Bahrain or who wish to work in the country. This Article also sets out the regulations for the residence of non-citizens of Bahrain and gives the Government discretionary powers to issue and determine the validity of residence permits or their renewal, and to issue permits in certain cases at its discretion, with periodic reviews of the legal status of the beneficiary,” the statement explained.

Furthermore, the Government expressed the view that the draft law was contrary to the established legislative approach contained in the Act on Foreigners, emphasising the importance of respecting the existing legal framework when adopting new laws.

It was argued that the general framework should be set out in law, while the details should be specified in implementing regulations and ministerial decisions.

This allows for greater flexibility and makes it easier to introduce changes in response to changing circumstances, unlike laws that require more time to amend due to constitutional procedures.