Start my Bahrain company
Bahrain company formation

A real Gulf company you can own 100%, with no income tax today

A Bahrain WLL with a real commercial address, no minimum capital, and one owner living anywhere. Ours is BD 1,490 to start and BD 1,090 a year, about US$3,950 and US$2,890, run from anywhere.

Filed for you through a Bahrain professional office. No visit needed to form it.
Start my Bahrain company Can you own 100%?
  • Year of commercial address included
  • No minimum capital
  • Nothing charged until you sign
0%Company and personal income tax today, outside oil and gas
100%Foreign ownership on hundreds of activities
BD 0Minimum capital for a WLL
1Owner is enough, since the SPC was folded into the WLL
01Own it all?

100% foreign ownership in Bahrain: check your activity

Pages say "100% foreign owned" as though it covers everything. It depends on what the company does. Pick the closest match.

02From your desk

Can you set up a Bahrain company without visiting?

Yes, to form it. Some of what comes after is different, and most pages blur the two. Here's the honest split.

Done from abroad

  • Application and activity choiceThrough the licensed office, on Sijilat.
  • Power of attorneyYou sign and apostille it where you live.
  • MemorandumNotarised in Bahrain by your representative.
  • Commercial registrationIssued online when approvals land.

Needs Bahrain

  • A commercial addressRequired for every WLL. Inspectors can visit. We include a year in a recognised business centre.
  • Someone local for filingsThe portal needs a Bahrain ID, so the office does these for you.
  • A visa, if you want oneOnly if you plan to live or work there. Quoted first.

We found no residence rule for a manager, providers disagree on it, and some banks prefer a signatory in Bahrain. We settle this with you before you order, not after.

03Tax, today and next

Bahrain company tax: 0% now, and the draft 10%

A draft law went to parliament in December 2025, aimed at years from 1 January 2027. As at November 2026 it hadn't passed, and the date can still move. Type your profit and see what it would change; revenue over BD 1 million would bring a company in too.

BD

The draft taxes nothing up to BD 200,000 (about US$530,000), and 10% above it.

TodayBD 0No corporate income tax
If the draft passesBD 0

VAT is separate: 10%, with registration compulsory above BD 37,500 of taxable sales. Oil and gas pay 46%, and groups with revenue of EUR 750m or more pay at least 15% in total.

04Who can see what

What a free Sijilat search shows about your company

Bahrain's register is open to anyone, with no login. It suits a business that wants to be seen. If you want your name off the record, look at the BVI.

Commercial registrationYour company WLLActive
Partners and shareholdersYour name, 100%
NationalityYours
Authorised signatoriesShown
Commercial addressYour business centre
Company capitalShown
ActivitiesShown
  • Not on that pageAccounts, and the separate ultimate owner filing.
  • Owner filingAnyone with 10% or more, a lower line than most places. It's kept up to date and confirmed yearly.
  • Holding through a companyThen that company's name shows as shareholder, while you remain on the owner filing.
05The yearly job

Bahrain WLL audit: required, with one lighter route

Registry fees are small. The yearly accounts are the real cost, and every WLL files within six months of its year end, except in its first year.

Year 1Nothing to file

The first year is exempt.

Route AAuditor's solvency letter

A licensed auditor confirms the company is solvent, instead of a full report. Not available if losses reach 50% of capital.

Route BAudited accounts

The full report, through a Bahrain licensed auditor.

LateBD 10 to 30 a month

On a late registration renewal, on top of the yearly fees.

06Crypto

A Bahrain company for crypto, under the Central Bank

Crypto services need a Central Bank licence, and a Bahrain company is treated as inside the rule wherever in the world it acts. Weighing it up? Start with our crypto company guide.

Services to others

Exchange, custody, advice and similar, by way of business.

CapitalBD 25,000 to 300,000
Yearly feeBD 2,000 to 12,000

The company's own crypto

The Central Bank hasn't said in plain words whether merely holding, or being paid in crypto for your own work, is outside the rule. Tell us your plan, and we'll raise it with the local office before you order.

Issuing a stablecoin needs a separate licence, with BD 250,000 of capital, since July 2025.

07The whole bill

Bahrain company formation cost, every line

Many first-year quotes cover only months of address. Ours is a full year, and the renewal is on the same page.

Year one

Government feesAt cost: registration, activity, name, approvals, chamberBD 226
HeirsonLicensed office, Sijilat filing, notary, 12 months of commercial address, owner filing, bank account set up with youBD 1,264
You payBD 1,490

Every year after

Government feesAt cost: BD 50 registration, BD 100 activity, BD 16 chamberBD 166
HeirsonCommercial address, renewal, owner confirmation, remindersBD 924
You payBD 1,090
Solvency letter or auditQuoted firstNeeded from year two, by a Bahrain licensed auditor
Power of attorneyYour local costNotary and apostille where you live
Refundable depositBD 100Electricity, if your address needs it

Bahrain's dinar is held at about US$2.65. Comparison: about 30% below the 12 month address package we found at BD 2,150, then BD 1,520 a year, in November 2026. Visas, if you want one, are quoted first.

Questions

Bahrain company questions, answered

Weighing the Gulf? Compare with a UAE free zone company or the RAK ICC.

How much does it cost to set up a company in Bahrain?
With Heirson, BD 1,490 in year one, about US$3,950, and BD 1,090 a year after, about US$2,890. That includes government fees and a commercial address. A solvency letter or audit from year two is quoted first. Renewal fines and audit dates are on our Bahrain annual fees and filings page.
Can foreigners own 100% of a Bahrain company?
Yes, for hundreds of activities, including software, consulting and holding. General trading and online sale aren't open in the same way, and can need a Bahraini partner or a higher investment.
What happened to the Bahrain SPC?
A 2020 decree removed the single person company, and turned existing ones into limited liability companies. Today one owner can hold a WLL alone. Some pages still sell an SPC.
What is the minimum capital for a Bahrain WLL?
There's no minimum for a WLL. Older pages quote BD 20,000. In practice a bank may have its own view of what capital suits your business.
Does Bahrain have corporate tax?
Not today, outside oil and gas and large groups. A draft law would tax profit above BD 200,000 at 10%, aimed at 2027, and reach companies with over BD 1 million of revenue. It hadn't passed as at November 2026. More in our Bahrain tax guide.
Can I run a Bahrain company from abroad?
You can form and own it from abroad through a Bahrain professional office. It still needs a commercial address, and someone with a Bahrain ID for portal filings. We provide both.
Is a virtual office allowed in Bahrain?
A plain mail drop isn't enough. The company needs an approved commercial address, and recognised business centres qualify. Inspectors can visit, and we include one for your first year.
Are owners of a Bahrain company public?
Yes. A free search on Sijilat shows partners, their nationality and their share of the company. The separate ultimate owner filing isn't on that page. How to read a full record, and check a company before paying it: Bahrain company search.
Is Bahrain on the EU blacklist or FATF list?
It's on neither, after the October 2026 updates. A FATF evaluation visit is scheduled for November 2026, with a result due in 2027.
Can I open a bank account for a Bahrain company?
Yes. A local bank may prefer a signatory in Bahrain and enough capital, so we plan for that with you early. We handle the application together, and it almost always goes through. The Central Bank's rules and bank fees are in our Bahrain company bank account guide.
Next

A Gulf company with a real address, in your name.

BD 1,490 for the first year, with the commercial address inside. You pay once you've signed.

Start my Bahrain company Check my activity
Bahrain companyBD 1,490, then BD 1,090 a yearStart