The Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) leads Bahrain's national digital transformation programme and is responsible for designing, building, and operating the country's shared government digital infrastructure. While most residents interact with the iGA indirectly - through the Bahrain.bh portal and the eKey identity service - the authority plays a foundational role in enabling almost every digital government interaction in the Kingdom.
Bahrain.bh: The National eGovernment Portal
The iGA operates Bahrain.bh, the primary online gateway to government services in Bahrain. The portal aggregates services from the LMRA, NPRA, SIO, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, and other government bodies - all accessible through a single login. The iGA is responsible for the portal's technology platform, service catalogue, uptime, and security.
eKey: National Digital Identity
eKey is the iGA's national digital identity service, linked to each individual's CPR number. It provides a single authenticated session across all participating government services, eliminating the need for separate credentials for each authority. Key facts about eKey:
- Requires identity verification to set up, which may include biometric enrolment at an authorised centre
- Once active, accessible from any device through a browser or the Bahrain.bh mobile app
- Can be used for electronic signing of government documents, making legally valid applications and authorisations possible online in many cases
National PKI and Digital Certificates
The iGA operates Bahrain's Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), issuing digital certificates for secure government communications and electronic signatures. Businesses and government bodies use these certificates for higher-assurance transactions where standard username-password authentication is insufficient.
Cybersecurity and Data Governance
The iGA sets cybersecurity standards and policies across government agencies and plays a coordinating role in national cybersecurity incidents. It also governs data privacy frameworks for how government bodies handle personal data, providing oversight of how CPR-linked information is processed and shared between authorities.
Interoperability
A significant part of the iGA's mandate is enabling different government systems to exchange data securely. The interoperability standards the iGA sets allow LMRA, NPRA, SIO, and other bodies to cross-reference each other's records - so that a work-permit update in LMRA can be reflected in the residency records at NPRA without the resident needing to submit the same information twice.
Digital Transformation Goals
The iGA operates within the framework of Bahrain's national digital agenda, which aims to make the Kingdom one of the most digitally advanced governments in the Gulf. Key goals include migrating more government services fully online, reducing in-person requirements, and improving the speed and reliability of digital service delivery. Progress is tracked through annual reports published on iga.gov.bh, which also outline planned new services and upgrades to existing platforms.
Contacting the iGA
Most residents interact with iGA infrastructure passively. For issues that cannot be resolved online, the iGA maintains service centres and a helpdesk. iga.gov.bh publishes service guides, user manuals, and announcements about new features and service changes.
iGA services and the catalogue of functions on Bahrain.bh are updated as Bahrain's digital transformation advances. Check the official iGA and Bahrain.bh websites for current information.