Investment property: Bahrain

Updated 5 October 2026

In Bahrain a foreigner can buy a flat, house or commercial premises freehold, but only in zones designated by the government: modern districts of Manama and reclaimed islands off the coast.

Outside these zones foreigners, except Gulf nationals, cannot buy property freehold. Title is registered by the Survey and Land Registration Bureau. There is no annual tax on owning a home.

Property and the golden residence

Since 2022 Bahrain has offered a 10-year renewable golden residence with the right to work and bring family. The threshold for the property route was cut from 200,000 to 130,000 Bahraini dinars, about $345,800. The property must belong to the applicant, and the residence does not require working for a local employer. The dinar is pegged to the US dollar: 0.376 dinars per dollar, about $2.66 per dinar. The application is filed with the Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs office after title registration, together with family members' documents.

How much it costs to complete

• Registration fee at the Survey and Land Registration Bureau: 2% of the price. If paid within 60 days of notarisation, a 15% discount applies and the fee is 1.7%. On a 200,000 dinar flat, about $531,900, that is 4,000 dinars, about $10,640, or 3,400 dinars, about $9,050, with the discount.
• Notarisation of the contract and legal support are paid separately.
• A mortgage requires registration of the charge at the same bureau.

Fee amounts were checked against several independent sources.

Rental income

Bahrain has no personal income tax, so rent received by an individual owner is not subject to income tax. Owner costs are the building's service charges, maintenance and, if let through a management company, its fee. Before buying to let, ask the building's management company for last year's service charges: yield depends directly on them.

Buying off-plan

Off-plan sales in Bahrain are governed by the real estate development law: the project is registered with the Real Estate Regulatory Authority, and buyers' money goes into the project's escrow account. Before signing, check that the project is registered and the developer has such an account.

How the purchase works

1. Goal and budget. A home, letting or golden residence decide the property.
2. Due diligence. The zone where foreign ownership is allowed, seller's title, encumbrances, project registration.
3. Contract, deposit and notarisation.
4. Registration at the Survey and Land Registration Bureau, ideally within 60 days for the fee discount.
5. Residence: the application follows the title deed.

Risks

• A property outside the zones open to foreigners: the deal will not be registered.
• An off-plan project without registration and escrow.
• High service charges cut rental yield.
• The market is small, so resale can take time.

What we do

We shortlist a property in a permitted zone for your goal, check the seller, developer and project, and support the contract, notarisation and registration at the Survey and Land Registration Bureau with locally licensed partners. If your goal is golden residence, we select property from 130,000 dinars and prepare the application.

What we do

• Property shortlist for your investment goal
• Legal due diligence on the property
• End-to-end transaction support
• Ownership structuring (company, trust)
• Property management and letting

See also

Company formation · Business account · Personal account

FAQ