The Ministry of Education (MOE) checks school certificates from abroad so your child is placed in the right grade.
Joining a private school: the school admits your child straight away and handles the equivalency itself with the MOE. There is no fee, it takes about 1 working day, and it can be done at any time in the school year.
What to prepare:
- copies of the child's passport, CPR (smart card) and the applicant's valid residence permit
- the original last certificate and transcript
- the seal of the education ministry in the country that issued it, plus the seal of that country's foreign ministry and the Bahraini embassy there (or the other way round)
- a legal translation into Arabic or English by an authorised office if it is in another language
If the certificate carries an Apostille, you do not need the foreign ministry and embassy seals.
If you apply to the MOE directly instead, its service for the equivalency of foreign academic qualifications is also free, is applied for in person at its customer service centre, and takes 3 working days. The MOE may ask for more papers and can refuse if the documents cannot be verified. The MOE is in Isa Town, on +973 17873333.
Steps
- Get the certificate and transcript sealed (or Apostilled) in the country that issued them.
- Have them legally translated into Arabic or English if needed.
- Give the originals and ID copies to the private school, which applies to the MOE.
- The school confirms the grade once the MOE equivalency is done (about 1 working day).