Bahrain's national portal describes this service, "Marriage in the Kingdom of Bahrain (non-Bahrainis)". It is run by the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Waqf for a marriage contract where one or both people are not Bahraini.
What you need
- Proof that the non-Bahraini's own country approves the marriage. This is named in particular for citizens of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey and the Philippines.
- Proof of the foreign bride's marital status, and papers confirming status for anyone married before.
- Copies of the couple's passports, and ID copies of the couple, the bride's guardian and two witnesses. All of them must attend.
- One of the couple must be resident in Bahrain.
- A premarital examination certificate for both, if one of them is Bahraini.
- Original work approval for Bahrain Defence Force or other security service staff.
- Foreign documents must be certified by Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and translated into Arabic.
How to apply
Download the application form from the Forms section of moj.gov.bh. Fill it in by hand and email it, with all documents as one PDF and a Bahraini phone number, to shareya.prosedures@MOJ.GOV.BH. A judge reviews the request. If it is approved, you get an SMS appointment to complete the marriage at the Sharia Procedures Department in the Sharia Judicial Building, Riffa – Al Hunainiya. The listed process time is 8 working days.
Steps
- Get the Ministry of Foreign Affairs certification and Arabic translation for foreign documents.
- Download the form from moj.gov.bh (Forms) and fill it in by hand.
- Email the form and all documents as one PDF, with a Bahraini phone number, to shareya.prosedures@MOJ.GOV.BH.
- Wait for the SMS appointment, then attend with the guardian and two witnesses at the Sharia Judicial Building, Riffa – Al Hunainiya.