UK ETA for Bahraini citizens
Bahraini nationals were among the very first travellers required to hold a UK ETA — the Gulf states entered the scheme ahead of Europe and North America. If you have visited the UK since then you may already hold one; if it was issued more than two years ago, or on a passport you have since replaced, it has expired.
UK ETA for Bahrain — key facts
- Bahraini citizens do need a UK ETA before travelling to the United Kingdom.
- An ETA is not a visa and does not guarantee entry — a Border Force officer makes the final decision on arrival.
Verified against GOV.UK on 2026-10-12. UK ETA Gateway is a private agency, not the UK Government.
What is different for Bahraini travellers
The ETA requirement began applying to Bahraini passport holders on 22 February 2024. Because an ETA lasts only 2 years, anyone who complied at the start has an authorisation that has already expired — this is the single most common reason a Bahraini traveller is stopped at check-in believing they are covered.
The fee is set by the Home Office in pounds sterling, so you are charged £49 and your bank converts it from Bahraini dinar (BHD) at its own rate. We do not add a currency markup, and nobody — including us — can discount the £20 government portion.
A note on your name: Arabic names are transliterated differently by different authorities. Copy the Latin-script spelling exactly as it is printed in the machine-readable zone of your Bahraini passport — not the spelling on your ticket, your bank card, or an older passport.
Applying from Bahrain
Bahrain was in the first wave on 22 February 2024, which means the earliest Bahraini ETAs expired in February 2026. If your last UK trip was in 2024 or 2025 and you have not applied again since, check the date before you check in.
The ETA is linked to the passport you applied with, not to your Bahraini CPR number or your identity. A renewed passport voids it, and that is the most common way a traveller who has done everything right ends up non-compliant.
Bahrain's proximity to Saudi Arabia means a good share of trips begin as a drive over the King Fahd Causeway before flying onward. Whichever airport you actually depart from, it is your nationality and passport that determine the ETA requirement — not your point of departure.
We work in Arabic and English, and we will tell you plainly when you do not need us. Airside transit through Heathrow or Manchester, for example, currently requires no ETA at all.
What Bahraini travellers need
- A biometric Bahraini passport that will still be valid when you travel
- A digital photo meeting the GOV.UK standard
- An email address and a payment card
- Truthful answers on criminal convictions and past immigration refusals
You do not need flight bookings, hotel reservations, bank statements or an invitation letter.
Every Bahraini traveller needs their own ETA, including infants — there is no family application and no child discount. How ETAs work for children and families.
If you also hold British or Irish citizenship you cannot apply for an ETA at all — travel on that passport instead. Full requirements · Common questions.
Bahrain at a glance
- ETA requiredYes
- Official Home Office fee£20
- Our service fee£29
- Total through us£49
- Validity2 years or passport expiry
- Maximum stay per visit6 months
- Typical decisionMinutes; allow 3 working days
- Number of entriesUnlimited
Or apply yourself at gov.uk/eta for £20.