LMRA – Labour Market Regulatory Authority | A Brief Overview

History of LMRA

LMRA stands for Labour Market Regulatory Authority. Since Bahrain is an ex-pat hub, regulation was very necessary to ensure the best practices in the state. Considering the diverse demographical & social environment of the labor market, his Majesty King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa introduced the Labour Market Authority with Act No. 19 in 2006.

LMRA Online Services

LMRA Online Services does administrative tasks related to employment and residency in Bahrain and offers convenient access through its user-friendly website. Users can easily manage visa applications, renewals, and other labor-related transactions efficiently online. The platform provides ease of navigation with clear instructions and secure payment options which enhances user experience and service accessibility.

Responsibilities of LMRA 

Labour Market Regulatory Authority is a national federal labor organization and is responsible for the implementation of Labour Law Bahrain. In doing so LMRA Bahrain supervises the following areas:

Issuance of Resident Permits

LMRA Bahrain is responsible for the issuance of resident permits of the following categories:

• Work Visa
• Investor Visa
• Dependent Visa (Family Visa)

Regulating Labour Market

Since the core objective of LMRA Bahrain is to regulate the labor market, LMRA ensures best practices of the labor market in the following ways:

• Public awareness campaigns.
• Inspection campaigns.

LMRA board regularly runs Public Awareness campaigns through different channels such as Press conferences Newspapers, social media, and websites. Some people don’t have information and they ask what is lmra in Bahrain.The motive behind such a campaign is to bring awareness to the public about labor law and the latest legislation.

Having employees without a valid work permit is a punishable offense in Bahrain it can lead to a penalty of not less than BHD 1000. LMRA is an organization that conducts the inspection campaign to ensure compliance of businesses with Labour Law.

Licensing

This public authority is also responsible for issuing licenses to the following businesses:

• Manpower Agencies
• Employment Offices.