Bahrain Labour Law (2026): Leave, Working Hours, Notice & Probation

Working hours

Normally 8 hours a day and no more than 48 hours a week, and actual work can never exceed 10 hours a day.

• You must get at least 30 minutes of breaks for prayer, meals and rest, so that you never work more than 6 hours in a row. Breaks are not counted as working time.
• Your whole working day, from start to finish including breaks, cannot be longer than 11 hours (12 hours for intermittent jobs named by the Minister).
• Workers on night shifts are entitled to a job-nature allowance.
• These hour limits do not apply to the employer's authorised agents, security guards, cleaners, or staff doing preparatory work before or after official hours. The Minister sets their limits, and their overtime pay cannot be lower than the legal rate.

Articles 50-53 and 56

Sources:lloc.gov.bh

Ramadan working hours

During Ramadan, Muslim workers may not work more than 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week.

• The law writes this limit for Muslim workers. It does not set a reduced schedule for non-Muslim workers.
• Like the normal hour limits, it does not apply to the categories excluded by Article 56 (authorised agents, security guards, cleaners and preparatory work).
• The Minister can lower maximum hours further for some categories of workers, industries or jobs.

Article 51

Sources:lloc.gov.bh

Overtime

Each overtime hour is paid at your normal wage plus at least 25% during the day and at least 50% at night.

• Your employer can ask for overtime when business needs it, but your actual work still cannot pass 10 hours in one day.
• If you work on your weekly rest day, you get overtime pay of 150% of the day's wage or another day off instead, as you choose.
• If you work on a public holiday or Eid, you get 150% of your wage for that day or a substitute day off, as you choose.

Articles 53, 54, 57 and 64

Sources:lloc.gov.bh

Weekly rest day

You are entitled to at least 24 hours of rest every week, and Friday is the standard rest day.

• The employer can move the rest day to another day for some workers, taking into account Friday prayer time for Muslims.
• You cannot be made to work on your rest day more than two times in a row without your written consent.
• Working on your rest day earns 150% of the day's wage or a replacement day off, at your choice.

Article 57

Sources:lloc.gov.bh

Annual leave

At least 30 days of paid annual leave a year once you complete one year of service, earned at 2.5 days per month.

• If you have worked less than a year, you get leave in proportion to the time you have worked.
• Your employer sets the leave dates, but you must get at least 15 days of leave a year, including at least 6 days in a row.
• You can take up to 6 days a year of emergency (contingency) leave, at most 2 days at a time. These days come out of your annual leave.
• The employer must settle your leave balance at least every two years, and must pay unused leave in cash when your job ends. You cannot give up your leave.

Articles 58-59

Sources:lloc.gov.bh

Sick leave

After 3 months of service you get up to 55 days of sick leave a year: 15 days on full pay, 20 days on half pay and 20 days unpaid.

• The illness must be certified by a government health centre or a clinic recognised by your employer.
• Unused full-pay and half-pay sick leave can build up to a maximum of 240 days.
• You can also use your annual leave balance when you are sick.
• Your employer cannot end your contract because of illness until you have used up your annual and sick leave, and must give 15 days' notice before that point.

Articles 65-66 and 117

Sources:lloc.gov.bh

Maternity leave

60 days of maternity leave on full pay, plus an optional 15 extra days unpaid.

• The 60 days cover the period before and after childbirth. You need a medical certificate from a government health centre or an employer-approved clinic showing the expected due date. You may not work during the 40 days after giving birth.
• After returning, you get two nursing breaks of at least one hour each until your baby is 6 months old, then two 30-minute breaks until the age of one. These count as paid working time.
• Your employer cannot dismiss you because of marriage or during maternity leave.
• You can take unpaid leave of up to 6 months to care for a child under 6, up to three times during your service.
• In April 2025 MPs approved a proposal to raise paid maternity leave to 70 days. It is not part of the published law yet, so check for updates.

Articles 32-35

Sources:lloc.gov.bhgdnonline.com

Paternity leave

Fathers get 1 day of leave on full pay when their child is born.

• This is the legal minimum. Your contract or company policy can give you more.
• Your employer can ask for proof of the birth.

Article 63

Sources:lloc.gov.bh

Bereavement leave

3 days of paid leave on the death of a spouse or a relative up to the fourth degree, or a spouse's relative up to the second degree.

• A Muslim woman whose husband dies gets one month on full pay. She can complete the waiting period (iddah) of 3 months and 10 days from her annual leave, or as unpaid leave if she has no balance.
• You also get 3 days of paid leave for your own marriage, once during your service.
• Your employer can ask for evidence of the event.

Article 63

Sources:lloc.gov.bh

Hajj leave

Muslim workers with 5 continuous years of service get 14 working days of paid leave to perform Hajj, once.

• It is given only once during your service, and not if you already took Hajj leave with a previous employer.
• The employer decides how many workers can go each year, giving priority to those with the longest continuous service.

Article 67

Sources:lloc.gov.bh

Probation period

Probation can last up to 3 months (up to 6 months for jobs named by the Minister) and must be written in your contract.

• If probation is not written in the contract, it does not count.
• Either side can end the contract during probation by giving at least one day's notice.
• The same employer can put you on probation only once.

Article 21

Sources:lloc.gov.bh

Notice period

Either side must give 30 days' written notice to end an open-ended contract, or pay wages for the notice period instead.

• An employer can agree to a notice period longer than 30 days, but any agreement that cuts the employer's notice is void. When you resign, your employer may excuse you from all or part of your notice.
• Notice must be in writing, delivered by hand against signature or by registered mail.
• If your employer gives you notice, you can take one paid day a week (or 8 hours a week) to look for a new job.
• If notice is given while you are on leave, it only starts the day after your leave ends.

Articles 99-103

Sources:lloc.gov.bh

Termination and end-of-service

If you are dismissed without a lawful reason after your first 3 months, you are owed 2 days' wages for each month of service, at least 1 month and at most 12 months of wages.

• Your employer can dismiss you without notice or compensation only for serious reasons listed in the law, such as false documents, unauthorised absence of more than 10 days in a row or 20 days in a year (after a written warning), or being under the influence of alcohol or drugs at work.
• Dismissal for pregnancy, religion, union activity, filing a complaint or taking your legal leave is unfair, and adds an extra half of the compensation on top.
• Before dismissing you for poor performance, your employer must tell you what is wrong and give you at least 60 days to improve. Your employer cannot end your contract while you are on leave.
• For a fixed-term contract ended without cause, compensation equals the wages for the rest of the contract, unless both sides agree on less, which cannot be lower than 3 months' wages or the remaining period, whichever is less.
• Since 1 March 2024, end-of-service gratuity for expatriates is paid by the Social Insurance Organization (SIO) from employer contributions: 15 days' pay per year for the first 3 years and one month's pay per year after that, based on basic salary plus social allowance. Your employer still owes the gratuity for service before March 2024.

Articles 101-111

Sources:lloc.gov.bhsio.gov.bhglobal.lockton.com

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