COVID-19: Bahrain ends free renewal of visit visas
Last year, kingdom allowed automatic extension of visas without the need for application
Cairo: Bahrain has halted automatic and free renewal of visit visas, a measure the kingdom introduced last year as part of efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The Bahraini Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) said the automatic and free renewal of the visit visas was stopped starting from January 22 (yesterday) and that fees earlier set for extending all types of visas are to be re-introduced.
NPRA said that visitors can apply for extending the validity of all types of visitors via the government portal www.bahrain.bh or by visiting one of its services while observing precautions against COVID-19.
In April last year, Bahrain announced extending the validity of all types of visit visas for free. The exemption was extended more than once due to travel curbs, allowing the automatic renewal without the need to apply through the NPRA e-visa website.
The measure allowed visitors to the kingdom to rectify their residency status in Bahrain and streamline their departure amid the restrictions prompted by the global COVID-19 pandemic.