A Guide to Employment Contracts in Bahrain

If you are gearing up for a move abroad to take up employment in Bahrain you should be prepared to sign an employment contract before your begin your first day of work. Depending on where you are from, you may not be accustomed to signing such a formal agreement before taking up new employment and should make sure you understand what exactly it is that you are signing. The valid version of employment contracts is always the version that is in the official language of the country, which would be Arabic for Bahrain. You are able to get a copy of the document in your native language but note that the one in the official language is the legal copy of the employment contract.

When you get your employment contract in Bahrain and begin to look over it you will notice that it is a fairly straight forward document. It will have the conditions of your employment including when they can dismiss you, under what circumstances and how much notice that they have to give you. It will also give you a detailed listing of your job duties and responsibilities as well as the performance standards you will be expected to maintain. Your employment contract in Bahrain will also specify your salary, including any bonuses that are scheduled as part of your compensation, your job title and the length of duration of the contract. You may also have detailed reporting structure listed in the contract telling you who are your superiors at the company you will be working at. There will also be information as to what happens if either party breaks the contract.

There will be a standard clause in your employment contract that states that your employment is subject to you getting all of the necessary permits. This is to protect the employer from having to pay you if you cannot get a work visa.

In some instances you may not get an actual written contract, but instead have a verbal agreement with an employer. If that is the case you may want to press for at least a letter of agreement since you would otherwise have no recourse.

Most employment contracts for expats are for a period of no longer than two year initially. Depending on your job you may get an open ended employment contract. Any employment contract can be extended and many of them are.

Remember that before you can get your work visa and begin employment that you must take and pass a medical exam. You also have to re-take the medical exam when your work visa is renewed.