Bahrain has a separate, faster track for small civil and commercial claims. It is set out in Ministry of Justice Decision No. 35 of 2020.
What counts as a small claim
- A civil or commercial claim worth no more than BD 1,000.
- If you file several claims together, the total must still be BD 1,000 or less.
How to file
- You can file electronically. The claim must name both parties, explain the facts and attach your supporting papers.
- Any document not in Arabic needs an Arabic translation.
- The claim is only registered once the full court fee is paid. If you are asked to pay and don't, the case is struck out. The Ministry of Justice has an online calculator (Arabic only) for court fees.
How long it takes
- A case-management stage of 10 days from registration, which can stretch by another 20 days if the other side replies.
- The court may adjourn no more than 5 times, and judgment must come within 90 days of registration.
- The two sides can still settle, or agree through mediation, along the way.
The catch: you can't get around the limit by splitting one bigger debt into several small claims. Have your contract, invoices, messages and translations ready on day one, because the timetable is short.
Steps
- Check the amount you are claiming is BD 1,000 or less in total.
- Gather the contract, invoices or messages that prove the claim, translated into Arabic if needed.
- Work out the court fee with the Ministry of Justice calculator.
- File the claim electronically with the parties' details, facts and documents.
- Pay the full fee so the case is registered, then follow the hearing dates.