Bahrain is one of the easier Gulf countries to settle into, but the first month can be disorienting if nobody has told you the order things happen in.
Before you leave
- Decide what actually comes with you. Shipping a full household by sea takes weeks. Furniture is widely available in Bahrain and often cheaper than shipping. Ship what has value to you, not everything.
- Get your shipping documentation in order. An itemised packing list is required, and customs delays are almost always paperwork.
- Know your air vs sea trade-off. Air is fast and expensive; sea is slow and economical.
- Plan for the gap. Your belongings will arrive after you do. Pack a genuine essentials bag.
Choosing where to live
- Juffair: high-rise flats, heavily expat, walkable, plenty of restaurants and gyms.
- Seef: modern towers near the malls and business district.
- Adliya: older, more character, cafés and restaurants; many buildings without lifts.
- Amwaj Islands: island living, waterfront, quieter and more expensive.
- Saar, Hamala, Budaiya, Janabiyah: villas and gated compounds, popular with families.
- Riffa: the largest residential area, mostly family villas.
- Isa Town, Tubli: more local, more affordable.
Your first two weeks
- CPR (identity card). Your employer normally handles this. Nearly everything else depends on it.
- Bank account. Needs the CPR.
- Tenancy agreement. Read the notice clause before signing; the deposit is capped at one month’s rent. Verify: Law 27/2014
- EWA account. Electricity and water in your name, or confirmed as included in your rent.
- Internet. Providers usually install within a few days.
- Driving licence. Some nationalities can convert; others must test.
Things worth knowing early
- Summer is severe. June to September is genuinely hot and humid. Avoid moving then if you can choose.
- The weekend is Friday and Saturday.
- Ramadan changes daily rhythms: working hours, eating in public, traffic.
- The King Fahd Causeway connects Bahrain to Saudi Arabia by road, and is busy at weekends.
- Distances are short. Almost anywhere on the island is a 30 to 40 minute drive.
Updated 5 October 2026